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L.  LiPKIND, 

^^SKfk  35  Vandewater  Street,    New  York  City.    jfT^ 

M  •*»^^ 


COWBOYS  cf  THE 
WILD  WEST 


A     CftAPIIlC     PORTftAYAL    OF     COWBOY     LIFE     ON     TBI 

BOVSDLBS:    •    -     r  WILD  WEST,  WITH  ITS 

ATTl  iC    A.VD    EXCITING 

INCIDENTS   AND   ADVENTURES. 


IJAKKY      ilAllKi 


COF^ltlCHT,  1908,  BY  I.  4  If.  OTTENBD: 


L.    LIPKIND, 

35  Vandcwatcr  Street,  New  York  City. 


'^SST 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

^        Introduction 7 

CHAPTER  I. 

The  Kow  King's  Ranch 9 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  Cattle  Thieves 24 

CHAPTER  III. 
Cave  of  the  Bandits 34 

.  CHAPTER  IV. 
Chasing  the  Cattle  Thieves 48 

CHAPTER  V. 
Battle  With  the  Cattle  Thieves. 58 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Kidnapping  of  Gyp 65 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Carmencita 80 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
Gyp's  Escape  from  the  Bandits'  Cave 94 

CHAPTER  IX 
'  'ursued  by  the  Bandits i  u 

CHAPTER  X. 
Captured  by  the  Bandits  and  Rescucu  uv  uic  ^uw- 
boys 122 

LiiAi'lij-K  XI. 
Figiit    \\  iih  the  Indians .  134 

CHAPTER  XII. 
The  Revealed  Secret.  153 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Prairie  Fire  171 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Triple  Wedding 185 


INTRODUCTION. 

No  more  interesting  characters  have  ever  stood  out 
against  the  horizon  of  border  life  than  the  daring  and 
hardy  cowboys  of  the  great  Wild  West. 

The  early  pioneers  of  our  Western  history — such 
men  as  Sam  Houston,  Davy  Crockett  and  others— 
loved  and  admired  them  in  the  inverse  to  the  hatred 
and  fear  which  they  inspired  in  the  breasts  of  lawless 
Mexicans  and  savage  Indians. 

In  the  early  days,  and  to  a  great  extent  in  subs^» 
quent  times,  the  cowboy  element  was  composed  of  the 
sons  of  the  early  settlers  in  the  West;  but  not  a  few 
venturesome  young  men  from  the  centers  of  Eastern 
civilization  served  to  swell  their  ranks  and  blend  with 
the  crude  mental  training  of  the  backwoods  the  erudit 

tipn  and  culture  of  the  collegiate  education, 

7 


8  COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

It  was  in  a  great  measure  due  to  this  fortuitous 
assimilation  of  the  poHshed  and  the  rough,  in  the  same 
hazardous  pursuit  of  fortune,  that  the  composite  cow- 
boy character  is  the  most  unique  and  picturesque  that 
the  world  has  ever  exhibited  as,  what  may  be  aptly 
termed,  the  soaring  exponent  of  semi-civilized  life. 


COWBOYS  cf  THE 
WILD  WEST 


CHAPTER  I. 


THE  KOW  KING  RANCH. 


In  a  broad  expanse  of  prairie  which  rolled  off  in 
every  direction  in  undulating  billows  of  grass  until 
it  was  cut  by  the  lower  edge  of  the  horizon,  just  as 
the  rim  of  a  mammoth  inverted  bowl  of  translucent 
azure  might  cut  a  boundless  plane  of  waving  velvet, 
stood  the  bizarre  structure,  which  was  familiarly 
spoken  of  as  the  castle  of  the  "Kow  King." 

The  castle,  or  more  properly  termed,  the  ranch 
house,  was  a  low,  rambling  piece  of  architecture — if 


lO  COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

indeed  the  science  of  architecture  had  ever  been  con- 
sidered as  a  factor  in  its  creation — and  consisted  of  a 
number  of  log  cabins>  thrown  together  in  a  haphazard, 
heterogeneous  mass,  much  after  the  manner  of  nursery 
children  at  play  with  their  gaudy  blocks  and  Noah's 
arks. 

Among  the  many  quaint  and  curious  conceits  which 
first  greeted  the  eyes  of  the  observer  when  approach- 
ing this  masterpiece  of  incongruity  which  served  as  a 
home  for  the  family  of  Col.  Arthur  Daingerford,  were 
the  manifold  evidences  of  the  owner's  warlike  char- 
acter ;  for  from  numerous  port  holes,  cut  through  the 
substantial  walls  of  ponderous  timber,  the  black  muz- 
zles of  heavy  cannon  and  the  shining  barrels  of  rapid- 
firing  guns  frowned  down  upon  the  stranger  with 
grim  suggcstivcness. 

The  formidable  appearance  of  the  castle,  however, 
was  no  true  indication  of  its  owner's  character  and 
disposition ;  for  Colonel  Daingerford  was  a  gentleman 
of  the  mildest  mien,  a  man  of  dauntless  courage,  but  of 


o 


COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  I3 

superior  intellectual  gifts  and  a  refinement  of  mind 
and  manner  sadly  opposed  to  the  rough  and  ready 
environment  in  which  unscrutable  destiny  had  chosen 
to  place  him. 

It  must  also  be  borne  In  mind  that  in  the  early  days 
of  the  last  half  of  the  past  century  immense  areas  of 
the  great  West  were  still  in  their  primitive  state,  with 
only  a  handful  of  white  settlers  to  share  the  battle  of 
life  with  the  prowling  beasts  of  prey  and  the  ferocious 
Indians  that  roamed  over  the  measureless  plains  and 
through  the  trackless  forests. 

The  white  settlers,  comparatively  so  few  in  number, 
were  put  to  their  wits'  end  to  protect  themselves 
against  the  depredations  of  hostile  Indians,  and  in 
some  sections,  defend  themselves  against  the  preda- 
tory raids  of  Mexicans,  bandits  and  outlaws. 

For  this  reason  many  of  the  ranchers  of  means 
fortified  their  homes  with  the  most  approved  weapons 
of  the  times. 

Colonel  Daingerford,  who  had  obtained  his  military 


14  COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

title  for  services  rendered  in  the  Mexican  War,  was  a 
man  well  past  fifty  years  of  age,  tall  and  spare  of 
build  and  of  unusually  dignified  and  commanding 
presence.  His  hair  was  snowy  white  and  fell  in  wavy 
profusion  well  below  his  neck.  His  moustache  and 
goatee  were  also  white,  which  contrasted  pleasantly 
with  his  fair  rosy  complexion,  lending  to  his  face, 
from  which  flashed  a  pair  of  searching  black  eyes,  a 
freshness  of  youth  rarely  seen  in  a  man  of  his 
years. 

In  a  spacious  sitting-room  of  the  ranch  house, 
tastily  appointed  and  richly  furnished,  Florence  Dain- 
gerford,  the  Colonel's  only  child  and  who  was  known 
throughout  that  entire  section  of  wild  country  as 
"Gyp,"  from  her  exquisite  beauty  of  the  gypsy  type, 
was  beguiling  the  time  with  little  snatches  of  Spanish 
songs,  which  she  sang  in  a  low,  sweet  contralto  voice 
to  the  accompaniment  of  a  beautiful  Mexican  guitar, 
whose  chords  answered  to  the  sweep  of  her  dainty 
fingers,  with  the  thrilling  melody  of  an  eolean  harp, 


COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  I5 

vibrating  before  the  flower-laden  breath  of  a  semi- 
tropical  breeze. 

In  a  commodious  arm  chair,  languidly  poring  over 
a  magazine,  Miss  Priscilla  Prime,  a  wiry  little  lady  of 
some  forty  summers,  was  whiling  away  the  monotony 
of  the  lonely  hours  which  hang  so  heavily  upon  the 
ladies  of  remote  ranches  in  rainy  weather,  and  for 
several  days  a  chill  norther,  accompanied  by  a  driz- 
zling fall  of  rain,  had  held  in  its  dismal  grasp  all  that 
section  of  country  for  several  hundred  miles  from  the 
Gulf. 

Dropping  her  book  into  her  lap,  weariness  and 
ennui  plainly  depicted  upon  her  small,  sharp  features, 
she  directed  her  eyes  towards  Gyp. 

"Gyp,'*  she  said,  "you  remind  me  so  much  of  your 
mother  as  you  sit  there  with  your  guitar,  singing  the 
same  airs  IVe  heard  her  sing  so  often — dear  soul! 
Ah,  how  beautiful  she  was!" 

"I  have  but  a  very  indistinct  recollection  of  my 
mother,  Prissie;  you  must  remember  I  was  but  two 
years  of  age  when  she  died. 


l6  COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

"Yes,  I  remember  the  night/'  sighed  Priscilla,  "a 
bleak,  dreary  night — weather  just  like  this — the  rain 
was  beating  on  the  window  panes  and  the  wind  was 
chanting  its  mournful' anthems  around  the  angles  of 
this  old  home — we  were  all  buried  in  grief  while 
watching  for  her  gentle  soul  to  leave  us  and  speed 
through  the  storm-ridden  night  to  the  eternal  goal. 
Yes,  a  lovely  woman — a  dear,  unselfish  friend,  beloved 
by  all  who  knew  her — even  the  dumb  beasts  felt  the 
ominous  oppressiveness  of  that  fateful  night ;  for  the 
lowing  of  the  cattle  was  subdued  and  seemed  to  sink 
into  softer  notes  of  sad  remonstrance  against  the 
merciless  fate  that  was  to  deprive  them  of  the  ever- 
watchful  soHcitude  of  their  friend.  They  seemed  to 
feel  how  her  gentle  nature  rebelled  against  the  cruel 
torture  of  the  red-hot  brand  iron,  and  how  she  shrank 
from  the  thought  of  parting  with  her  pets  as  they 
were  gathered  in  great  herds  and  driven  to  the  sham- 
bles of  far-away  centers  of  population,  there  to  be 
slaughtered  that  their  bodies  might  go  to  sustain  life 
in  those  teeming  hives  of  degenerates." 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  1 7 

"Yes,  Prissie,  it  does  look  hard  and  cruel,  too,  to 
see  the  poor  cattle  taken  from  their  nice  grassy  ranges 
and  sent  to  their  death;  but  I  suppose,  as  Don  Alvero 
Guiliadza  says,  'it  is  all  in  the  game ;  the  strong  will 
always  exploit  the  weaker  organisms,  be  they  dumb 
quadrupeds  or  whimpering  human  bipeds/  " 

"Well,  Gyp,  if  Alvero  says  so,  it  must  be  true;  for, 
indeed,  Alvero  is  a  scholar,  as  well  as  a  Spanish  noble- 
man." 

"I  don't  like  that  man,  Prissie.  He  may  be  a 
scholar  and  a  nobleman  as  you  say,  but  I  don't  like 
him — there  is  something  about  that  man  that  always 
makes  me  feel  uncomfortable  when  he  is  near  us." 

"Prejudice,  Gyp — just  prejudice — why,  his  manners 
are  perfect,  and,  indeed,  as  to  appearance,  he  is  a 
veritable  Adonis ;  but  for  my  part  I  much  prefer  Don 
Ramon  Gonzalez." 

And  here  the  spinster,  as  she  uttered  this  little  white 
lie,  cast  a  sly  glance  at  Gyp  from  under  the  corners  of 
her  drooping  eyelids;   for  Miss  Priscilla  was  much 


l8  Cowboys  of  the  wild  wE§t. 

enamored  herself  with  the  dashing  Spaniard,  Don 
Alvero,  and  not  a  little  jealous  of  everyone  upon 
whom  he  bestowed  any  of  the  little  gallantries  in 
which  he  was  an  adept. 

"No,  Prissie,  nor  do  I  see  anything  to  admire  in 
Don  Ramon,  and  I  have  had  a  sense  of  impending 
evil  ever  since  papa  brought  those  two  gentlemen  to 
our  home  and  introduced  them  as  Spanish  noblemen 
of  great  wealth  and  distinction.  For  my  part,  I  prefer 
the  plain,  outspoken  and  simple  characters  of  our  own 
brave  cowboys.  They  may  not  be  nobleman  or 
scholars,  and  perhaps  they  are  not  overburdened  with 
extravagant  mannerisms  and  gush;  but  their  hearts 
are  in  the  right  place,  and  a  good  woman  feels  in- 
stinctively that  she  is  always  safe  in  their  midst." 

''Well,  Gyp,  you  are  young  yet  and  take  a  narrow 
view  of  things.  These  Sapniards  have  titles  and  great 
wealth.  With  the  fortune  your  father  has  built  up 
for  you,  it  is  in  the  foremost  ranks  of  the  old  world 
nobility  that  your  destiny  should  place  you  and  not 


COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  21' 

here  in  this  wild  and  isolated  country,  I  am  quite 
sure  that  Don  Ramon  has  right  now  more  than  a 
passing  feeling  of  friendship  for  you,  Gyp/* 

"Little  good  it  will  do  him,  Prissie;  I'm  not  much 
concerned  just  now  about  the  romantic  side  of  life. 
I'm  perfectly  happy  on  the  ranch  and  contented  with 
the  simple  pleasures  this  life  affords.  So  long  as  my 
dear  father  is  spared  to  me,  I  will  stay  here,  though 
many  times  he  has  urged  me  to  take  an  extended  trip 
abroad  since  I  returned  from  school  in  Paris  three 
years  ago." 

"Well,  I  will  admit.  Gyp,  that  some  few  of  our 
cowboys  betray  more  refinement  and  are  better  edu- 
cated than  the  great  majority ;  but  they  are  scarce  and 
far  between.  Now,  there's  Calvin  Yancey,  your 
father's  chief  cowboy.  He  has  been  a  mystery  to  me 
during  the  whole  three  years  that  he  has  been  on  the 
ranch.  Can't  get  anything  out  of  him.  He  is  bright, 
amiable  and  always  cheerful — in  fact,  he  is  voluble 
until  one  tries  to  draw  him  out  as  to  his  antecedents, 
and  then  he  shuts  up  like  a  rat  trap- " 


22  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

"Well,  Prissie,  I  have  noticed  that  myself;  but  it 
is  well  not  to  scrutinize  too  closely,  especially  here  in 
Texas,  which  is  proverbially  the  refuge  of  all  sorts  of 
people,  whose  antecedents  and  past  they  have  left 
behind  them.  For  my  part,  I  take  people  as  I  find 
them.  My  father  thinks  a  good  deal  of  Cal.  In  fact, 
he  treats  him  more  as  a  son  than  an  employee.'' 

Scarcely  had  Gyp  finished  speaking  when  an  old 
negro  slave  rushed  excitedly  into  the  room.  Her  face 
was  moist  and  shining  with  perspiration  and  her 
ampW  black  fingers  were  festooned  with  strings  of 
dough,  which  she  had  carried  from  her  bread-knead- 
ing in  the  kitchen  in  her  haste  to  gain  the  parlor. 

"Lawd  sakes.  Miss  Gyp !  dar's  gwine  ter  be  sumpin' 
happen.  Ole  Marse  an'  Marse  Cal  and  de  hull  troop 
ob  cowboys  is  comin',  jist  tearin'  cross  de  prairie!" 

Rising  from  their  seats,  the  two  ladies  rushed  to  a 
window  overlooking  the  broad  expanse  of  prairie,  and 
beheld  in  the  distance,  riding  at  full  speed  through 
the  driving  rain  a  large  body  of  horsemen. 


COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  23 

"Something  wrong,  Prissie,  or  there  wouldn't  be 
so  many  of  the  boys  coming  at  once  to  the  house." 

*'WelI,  we'll  know  in  a  few  minutes,"  answered  Miss 
Priscilla.  "I  trust  nothing  serious  has  occurred;  the 
indications  are  that  something  unusual  has  hap- 
pened." 


CHAPTER  11. 

THE  CATTLE  THIEVES. 

With  a  wild  whoop  which  might  have  done  credit 
to  a  band  of  savage  Comanches,  panoplied  in  their 
picturesque  war  bonnets  and  streaked  with  paint,  the 
troop  of  cowboys  dashed  into  the  stockade  surround- 
ing the  ranch  house  and,  dismounting,  led  their  horses 
to  shelter  of  a  long,  low  shed  which  flanked  the  west 
wing  of  the  rambing  structure. 

Colonel  Daingcrford,  followed  by  his  chief  cowboy, 
hastily  entered  the  house,  and  in  another  instant  the 
two  men  were  in  the  salon  with  the  two  ladies. 

Calvin  Yancey,  the  Colonel's  trusted  chief,  entered 
the  room  with  diffidence ;  a  sensation  which  seemed  to 
overcome  him  always  when  in  the  presence  of  the 
Colonel's  beautiful  daughter,  and  for  whom  he  cher- 
ished a  passionate  secret  devotion. 

24 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD    WEST.  25 

He  was  a  man  not  over  twenty- four,  straight  as  an 
arrow,  fair  and  ruddy  as  a  Viking,  with  long,  flowing 
golden  hair,  which  rippled  over  his  massive  shoulders, 
falling  nearly  to  his  waist;  a  high  broad  forehead 
beneath  which  sparkled  a  pair  of  violet  blue  eyes, 
tender  and  soulful  in  repose,  but  firm  and  determined 
under  excitement.  His  entire  face  was  a  study  for  a 
sculptor  with  its  delicate  aquiline  nose,  straight  in  out- 
line as  though  chiseled  from  parian  marble,,  and  its 
generous  manly  mouth,  with  full  crimson  and  arched 
lips,  surmounted  by  a  long,  silken  blonde  mustache, 
through  which  a  beautiful  set  of  even  white  teeth 
gleamed  like  rows  of  lustrous  pearls. 

He  was  clad  in  an  attractive  costume  in  which  the 
prevailing  cowboy  fashion  of  the  times  blended  tastily 
with  the  more  gaudy  and  picturesque  dress  of  the  Mex- 
ican vaquero.  Buckskin  leggins  with  fringe  down 
the  sides;  a  blue  flannel  shirt,  the  collar  of  which  was 
rolled  back  from  the  throat  and  fastened  with  a  large 
diamond  button  of  great  brilliancy ;  a  broad  felt  som- 


i26  COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

brero  of  a  delicate  fawn  color  and  elaborately  embroid- 
ered in  running  vines  and  leaves  of  gold  and  silver 
threads,  lent  a  peculiar  dash  and  charm  to  the  mag- 
nificent physique  of  the  young  cowboy  chief  as  he 
strode  through  the  spacious  room  to  the  musical  ac- 
companiment of  the  jingling  rowels  in  his  large  Mex- 
ican spurs. 

"Gyp/'  exclaimed  Colonel  Daingerford,  "we  have 
met  with  an  unusually  heavy  loss.  That  gang  of 
cattle  thieves,  which  has  been  operating  so  extensively 
of  late  in  this  region,  has  at  last  extended  their  depre- 
dations to  our  ranch,  and  sometime  within  the  past 
few  days  a  large  herd  of  cattle — not  less  than  three 
thousand — has  been  driven  oflf." 

^'Oh,  the  awful  thieves !"  wailed  Miss  Priscilla,  "and 
what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it.  Uncle  Arthur?" 

^'Go  after  them,  of  course;  hunt  them  down  and 
mete  out  to  every  one  of  the  scoundrels  the  punishment 
which  our  code  provides  for  such  miscreants,"  exr 
claimed  the  Colonel,  whose  big  black  eyes  were  flash^ 
ing  with  indignation  and  ill-concealed  anger. 


THE   COWBOY   CHIEF. 
Page  2y. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  29 

''Surely,  papa,  you  are  not  going?"  cried  Gyp, 
anxiously,  as  a  ghostly  pallor  chased  the  bloom  from 
her  velvet  cheeks.  Then,  turning  appealingly  to  the 
cowboy  chief: 

"You  will  not  let  papa  go,  Cal,  will  you?" 

And  before  the  chief's  lips  could  frame  an  answer 
she  continued  in  an  undertone,  while  seizing  the  chief 
by  the  broad  collar  of  his  shirt  and  gently  drawing 
him  to  one  side : 

"You  must  not  let  him  go,  Cal;  he  is  too  old  now 
for  such  venturesome  work." 

^"ril  do  what  I  can.  Miss  Gyp,  to  restrain  him ;  but 
you  know  the  Colonel  has  a  mind  of  his  own  and  it  is 
no  easy  matter  to  set  aside  his  determination  when  it 
has  once  taken  possession  of  him. 

"Well,  if  he  goes,  so  shall  I,"  rejoined  the  beautiful 
girl,  her  pretty  brow  contracting  into  a  frown  which 
bespoke  determination. 

"Oh,  never,  Miss  Gyp!  Your  father  will  be  safe 
with  us.  We  will  take  almost  nearly  our  whole  force, 
leaving  only  enough  men  to  guard  the  ranch." 


30  COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

"But  these  marauding  bands  of  cattle  thieves  arc 
very  strong,  I  have  been  told,  and  there. may  be  a 
number  of  the  terrible  Comanches  operating  with 
them." 

"That's  possible,  but  we  will  be  fifty  strong,  leaving 
here,  and  we'll  pick  up  reinforcements  from  other 
ranches,  as  the  whole  section  will  be  glad  of  a  chance 
to  rid  the  country  of  those  outlaws." 

"Call  Uncle  Eph,  somebody,"  interrupted  the 
Colonel,  as  he  paced  nervously  back  and  forth. 

In  another  moment  an  old  negro  man,  a  typical  old 

plantation  slave,  with  an  immense  stock  of  snow-white 

wool  towering  high  above  a  small,  round  face,  deeply 

seamed  with  a  veritable  network  of  wrinkles,  answered 

^  to  the  summons  of  Miss  Priscilla. 

He  entered  the  room  and  approached  the  Colonel 
with  that  kindly  familiarity  which  was  begotten  by 
long  association  between  master  and  servant  in  ante- 
bellum days — for  Uncle  Eph  and  Aunt  Mandy  were 
grown  up  black    folks    when    the    Colonel,  in    short 


COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  3 1 

clothes,  used  to  ride  the  ponies  bareback  with  the  little 
pickaninnies  over  the  ranch  in  his  father's  days. 

''Wat,  wat's  de  matter  wit  Marse  Art —  wha,  wat 
dun  happen,  honey — ye  look  so  mad?'' 

"Uncle  Eph,  the  rustlers  have  paid  us  a  visit.  We're 
going  after  'em.  I  want  you  and  Mandy  to  get  up 
rations  to  last  ten  days.  Have  a  four-mule  wagon 
loaded  with  all  we'll  need  for  fifty  men.  Have  the 
cook  wagon  put  in  order,  and  when  everything  is 
ready  turn  the  outfit  over  to  Shorty,  our  camp  cook." 

"Wha,  wat  ye  gwine  fer  ter  do  wif  Uncle  Ephy, 
Marse  Art?.    Isn't  Uncle  Eph  gwine  'long?" 

"No,  Uncle  Eph;  you  and  Aunt  Mandy  must  stay 
and  look  after  my  daughter  and  niece.  You  know 
you're  not  so  spry  as  you  used  to  be  some  fifty  years 
ago,  when  I  was  a  boy." 

"Dat's  so,  honey ;  but  Uncle  Eph  kin  cut  de  pigeon 
wing  yet." 

"But,  Uncle  Eph,"  ventured  Miss  Priscilla,  "they 
say  you've  got  the  rheumatism  in  your  left  leg  from 
old  age." 


32  COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

"Well,  'fore  de  Lawd,  little  missle,  wat  kind  o'  fool- 
is'ness  was  dat  dose  folks  say  about  Uncle  Eph? 
Ain't  de  right  laig  jis'  as  ole  as  de  lef  an'  I  ain't  got 
no  rheumatism  in  dat?" 

Shortly  after  Uncle  Eph  left  the  Colonel  everything 
began  to  assume  an  air  of  bustle  around  the  ranch. 

The  big  four-mule  commissary  wagon  and  the  cook 
wagon  were  rolled  out  from  the  wagon  shed  and  a 
number  of  the  boys  were  at  work  putting  them  in 
order  for  the  campaign. 

The  other  members  of  the  troop  were  all  busy,  care- 
fully replenishing  their  belts  with  ammunition,  clean- 
ing their  arms  and  putting  their  personal  equipments 
in  good  condition  generally.  Some  were  outside  of 
the  stockade  selecting  from  among  the  unbroken 
bronchos  a  number  of  lively  looking  ones,  which  they 
proposed  taking  along  as  relief  stock. 

The  skill  displayed  in  the  manner  in  which  these 
wild  little  animals  were  subdued  and  broken  to  the 
saddle  seemed  marvelous  in  the  eyes  of  the  Eastern 


COWBOYS  OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  33 

tourist  or  tenderfoot,  but  was  a  simple  matter  of 
every-day  occurrence  on  the  great  ranches  of  the  far 
West. 

To  the  professional  cowboy  and  expert  horseman 
it  was  just  a  pleasant  little  experience  to' test  the  ec- 
centricities of  the  little  Spanish-American  mustang. 
They  enjoyed  the  excitement  of  catching  and  throwing 
him  and  solving  by  masterly  horsemanship  all  the 
mysteries  of  the  rear  and  tear,  stop  and  drop,  lay  and 
roll,  kick  and  bite,  on  and  ojff,  under  and  over,  heads 
and  tails,  handsprings,  triple  somersaults,  standing  on 
their  heads,  diving,  flipflaps  and  all  the  droll  actions 
included  in  the  familiar  term  of  "bucking." 

Some  of  the  men,  with  the  unfailing  aim  of  the 
lasso,  were  roping  cattle  to  be  taken  along  with  the 
troop  and  from  which  a  fresh  supply  of  choice  meat 
was  to  be  added  to  the  commissary  supplies  as  needed. 

To  catch  a  calf,  stop  a  crazy  cow,  throw  an  untamed 
steer,  lasso  a  great  wild  bull  and  play  with  him  as 
though  he  were  a  kitten  and  daily  perform  all  the 
hazardous  feats  of  a  Spanish  matador  was  the  ordi- 
nary routine  of  the  cowboy's  life, 


CHAPTER  III. 

CAVE  OF  THE  BANDITS. 

Among  tHe  rugged  mountains  of  Old  Mexico  in  an 
isolated  section,  though  not  remote  from  the  Rio 
Grande,  there  is  a  spacious  cavern,  worn  deep  into 
the  interior  of  the  rugged  rocks  by  the  ceaseless  stroke 
of  Nature's  hand  through  countless  ages. 

The  flare  of  a  flickering  fire  cast  uncanny  shadows 

upon  the  irregular  surfaces  of  the  stone  walls  and 

danced  in   fantastic  shapes  over  the   skins  of  wild 

animals  and  the  multi-colored  Navajo  blankets,  which 

draped  in  barbaric  abandon    the    deep    niches    and 

entrances  to  the  numerous  natural  chambers  which 

served  as  sleeping  apartments  for  the  members  of  the 

fearsome  banditti  which  made  this  formidable  retreat 

their  abode.    From  all  parts  of  the  cavern  gleamed  the 

34 


COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  35 

bright  barrels  of  carbines  and  vicious  knives  in  their 
metallic  scabbards. 

The  cavern  was  deserted  save  for  the  presence  of  a 
comely  Mexican  woman,  who  was  bending  over  the 
couch  of  a  sleeping  girl  and  applying  to  her  bare  arm 
a  soothing  lotion,  crooning  softly  all  the  while  an  old 
Spanish  lullaby. 

The  sleeping  girl  was  quite  young  and  presentea  a 
picture  of  ravishing  beauty  as  the  fitful  rays  of  the 
feeble  fire  light  swept  over  her  exquisite  face  and 
form. 

The  girl's  features  were  of  the  most  pronounced 
Castillian  type.  A  massive  suit  of  wavy,  jet-black 
hair  shone  like  polished  ebony.  Her  features  were 
soft  and  regular,  and  illuminated  by  a  complexion  like 
the  deep,  brilliant  tints  of  a  luscious  peach  in  which 
the  rich,  creamy  color  battles  for  the  ascendancy 
with  the  delicate  pink  hue  of  a  sea  shell. 

The  woman  having  bandaged  the  arm  of  the  young 
girl,  moved  noiselessly,  with  the  lithe  motion  of  a  cat, 


36  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

to  the  fire,  which  was  beginning  to  smoulder  on  the 
big  flat  stone  which  served  for  a  hearth.  Taking  an 
armful  of  dry  fuel  from  a  pile  of  fagots,  she  dropped 
them  gently  on  the  hot  embers,  and  in  a  few  seconds 
they  had  burst  out  into  a  bright  fire,  and  the  dry  twigs 
were  crackling  in  the  flames  as  they  leaped  with  a  roar 
towards  the  rocky  roof  of  the  cave. 

The  noise  of  the  replenished  fire  was  more  than 
the  woman  had  reckoned  on,  for  the  slumbering  girl 
began  to  move  restlessly  in  her  sleep,  and,  turning 
over,  awoke  with  a  little  cry  of  pain. 

''Ah,  Santa  Maria!  what  have  I  done  to  wake  my 
Carmencita  ?''  exclaimed  the  woman. 

^'Oh,  Consuelo !  'tis  you.  I'm  so  glad.  Such  dreams, 
Consuelo — such  dreams.  I  could  hear  the  rattle  of  the 
shots  and  the  hoarse  yell  of  the  Comanches,  and 
thought  I  was  pursued  again." 

"No,  Dulcina ;  it  was  only  the  noise  made  by  the  re- 
viving fire  as  I  threw  the  fagots  on.'' 

"Yes;  I  suppose  my  nerves  are  somewhat  unstrung 


< 
tn 
O 
O 

<: 
w 

w 

H 

iJ 


o 

o 

o 

§ 


bo 

(1h 


COWBOYS  OF  THE  WILD   WEST.  39 

since  my  pony  stumbled  and  fell  with  me ;  but  my  arm 
Es  much  better,  Consuelo,  thanks  to  your  good  nurs- 
ing." 

"A  narrow  escape  you  made,  little  one ;  you  were  on 
the  edge  of  a  deep  ravine,  quite  unconscious  when 
your  brother  Alonzo  found  you  and  brought  you  to 
the  cave." 

"Ah !  good  Alonzo.  How  often  I  pray  that  he  may 
some  day  soon  find  some  other  occupation  than 
this  wild  and  reckless  life,  always  exposed  to  violent 
death  or  the  vengeance  of  the  law." 

"It  was  not  Alonzo's  choice  that  he  is  here  with  the 
outlaws,  my  Carmencita.  It  was  the  decree  of  a  cruel 
fate  which  he  could  not  avert." 

"Tell  me  something  about  it,  Consuelo,"  said  the 
girl,  entreatingly.  "You  often  promised  that  you 
would,  and  then  youVe  changed  your  mind." 

And  as  she  spoke  she  partly  rose  from  her  couch  of 
furs,  resting  upon  one  elbow,  the  bright  rays  from  the 
cheerful  fire  playing  upon  her  beautiful  face,  whilst  a 


40  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

cluster  of  magnificent  gems,  studding  a  large  antique 
gold  locket,  suspended  from  a  heavy  chain  which  en- 
circled her  exquisite  neck,  flung  back  in  showers  of 
dazzling  sparks  the  light  of  the  leaping  flames. 

'It's  a  sad  history,  my  Carmencita,  and  one  to  which 
I  do  not  allow  my  mind  to  revert.  I  have  tried  to 
bury  the  memories  of  the  past,  lest  they  eat  away  my 
brain  and  drive  me  mad  before  I  shall  have  accom- 
pHshed  my  one  aim  in  life,  and  that  you  know  is  to 
restore  Alonzo,  my  son,  and  your  foster-brother  to 
his  own.  I  cannot  tell  you  now,  but  some  day,  my 
Carmencita,  I  will  tell  you  all,  not  only  concerning 
Alonzo  Cabellero,  as  he  is  known  here  in  this  wild  coun- 
try, but  I  will  reveal  to  you  a  secret  of  your  own  life, 
which  for  your  best  interest  I  have  not  thought  wise 
to  do  as  yet.'' 

"Do  you  know  aught  of  my  parentage,  dear  Con- 
suelo?"  asked  the  girl,  excitedly.  "You  have  been  a 
mother  to  me  ever  since  I  can  remember;  but,  Oh! 
good  Consuelo,  if  you  know  more,  pity  the  burning 


COWBOYS  OF   THE    WILD    WEST.  4I 

desire  and  yearning  which  fills  my  heart  to  unravel  the 
mystery  of  my  birth — help  me,  Oh  I  Consuelo,  to  chase 
away  the  phantoms  of  uncertainty  which  haunt  every 
moment  of  my  existence — which  follow  me  through 
each  golden  hour  of  summer  and  the  bleak,  cold  days 
of  winter;  which  are  ever  present,  whether  in  the 
riotous  scenes  of  the  gambling  dens,  when  I  am  deal- 
ing the  fateful  cards,  or  in  the  silent  watches  of  the 
night,  when,  restless  and  wakeful,  I  struggle  with  the 
feeble  sparks  of  a  lost  memory  to  recall  another  life, 
which  sometimes  comes  to  me  in  flashes,  for  the  frac- 
tion of  a  second,  only  to  vanish  again  and  leave  me 
afloat  and  tossing  on  the  same  limitless  ocean  of 
oblivion," 

As  Carmencita  spoke  her  lovely  bosom  rose  and  fell 
in  rhythmic  undulation,  like  miniature  billows  in  a 
mimic  storm  at  sea ;  her  ravishing  eyes,  in  their  setting 
of  long,  silken  lashes,  sparkled  like  black  diamonds,  and 
her  full  red  lips,  chiseled  in  the  exquisite  outlines  of  a 
Cupid's  bow,  quivered  with  the  strong  emotion  which 
filled  her  soul. 


42  COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD  WEST. 

"Not  yet,  dear  child,  but  some  day,  and  soon,  you 
shall  know  all.  There  are  some  links  I  must  yet  weld 
into  the  long  chain  of  evidence  which  all  these  years  I 
have  been  forging  for  the  welfare  of  both  yourself 
and  your  foster-brother,  Alonzo." 

"And  where  is  Alonzo  now?  I  have  not  seen  him 
since  my  accident;  or,  in  fact,  before,  as  I  remember 
nothing  of  his  bringing  me  here." 

"Alonzo  is  with  Alvera  Guiliadza  and  the  band. 
iThey  have  gone  on  a  raid  with  some  Comanche  In- 
dians." 

"Where,  Consuelo?" 

"I  am  not  sure,"  replied  Consuelo.  "I  suspect  from 
remarks  I  overheard  that  they  are  on  an  expedition 
to  rustle  cattle  in  Texas,  cross  the  Rio  Grande  with  the 
herd  and  make  for  New  Mexico,  along  the  river 
through  Mexico." 

"When  did  they  leave?" 

"Two  days  ago." 

"Do  you  know  in  what  direction  they  went  ?" 


COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  43 

"No;  but  I  heard  them  say  they  were  going  this 
time  to  the  ranch  of  the  *Kow  King/  " 

"What?"  cried  the  girl,  "to  the  ranch  of  the  'Kow 
King.'  I  see  it  all! — some  devilment  is  contemplated 
by  that  villain  Guiliadza.  How  I  hate  that  man,  Con- 
suelo !    I  wish  we  were  foot  lose  from  his  band." 

"Yes,  dear,  and  so  do  I ;  but  you  know  when  Alonzo 
was  hunted  down  by  the  soldiers  for  that  conspiracy 
against  the  Mexican  Government,  Guiliadza  offered 
him  a  refuge  and  protection." 

"Consuelo,  do  you  know  the  daughter  of  the  *Kow 
King'?" 

"No,  dear." 

"Well,  I  do,  Consuelo.  I  met  Ker  once  in  the  City 
of  Mexico  with  her  father.  It  was  before  Alonzo 
found  us  and  brought  us  here.  When  you  were  so  ill 
with  the  swamp  fever  and  we  were  so  poor — don't 
you  remember  when  I  put  you  in  the  convent  and  left 
you  to  be  taken  care  of  by  the  nuns?" 

"Yes,  Carmencita;  but  I  never  knew  where  you 


44  COWBOYS    OF   THE    WILD    WEST. 

went,  child,  nor  how  you  got  the  means  to  provide  for 
me  in  my  helpless  condition." 

"Well,  I  never  told  you,  Consuelo,  but  I  will  now.  I 
went  to  the  City  of  Mexico  and  entered  the  employ  of 
Ramon  Gonzalez,  the  gambling  king.  There  I  dealt 
monte  in  his  gilded  palace.  I  stopped  at  the  same  hotel 
with  the  'Kow  King'  and  his  pretty  daughter.  We 
became  quite  friendly,  and  one  day  I  told  her  of  our 
troubles — how  I  was  toiling  in  the  gambling  hell  to 
get  money  with  which  to  come  to  your  relief.  The 
girl  listened  to  me  and  her  heart  responded  with  the 
warmest  sympathy.  She  obtained  a  generous  sum 
from  her  father,  gave  it  to  me  and  insisted  that  I 
should  go  and  seek  you  with  all  possible  haste.  I  did 
so — you  know  the  rest." 

"Had  I  known  that,  Carmencita,"  exclaimed  Con- 
suelo, "I  would  have  prevailed  upon  Alonzo  not  to 
plunder  so  good  and  kind  a  man  as  the  'Kow  King.' " 

""It  is  not  the  plundering  I  fear  so  much,  Consuelo, 
but  some  other  dreadful  outrage  by  that  villain  Guili- 


COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST.  45 

adza.  He  has  for  a  long  time  hoped  to  win  the  love  of 
the  Kow  King's  daughter  and  marry  her  for  the  im- 
mense fortune  which  she  will  inherit;  but  the  girl 
spurns^  his  attentions  and  does  not  believe  that  he  is 
the  rich  Spanish  nobleman  whom  he  represents  him- 
self to  be." 

**How  do  you  know  all  this,  dear  child?" 
"Many  strange  tales  find  their  way  through  the 
channels  of  romance,  dear  Consuelo.  My  source  of 
information  is  very  simple  when  explained.  You  see, 
Consuelo,  the  gambling  king,  Gonzalez,  and  Guiliadza 
are  fast  friends.  It  is  at  Gonzalez's  place  in  the  City 
of  Mexico  where  the  Guiliadza  banditti  drop  the  pro- 
ceeds of  their  plunder  at  intervals  during  each  year. 
Now,  Gonzalez  is  in  love  with  me,  and  of  that  I  am 
quite  sure.  He  is  rich,  but  I  abhor  him.  For  certain 
reasons  I  have  allowed  him  to  think  that  I  look  with 
favor  upon  him.  He  tells  me  everything  that  hap- 
pens, and  it  was  he  who  told  me  of  Guiliadza's  plot  to 
win  the  hand  of  the  Kow  King's  daughter. 


46  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

"The  Kow  King  little  dreams  that  he  has  been  en- 
tertaining in  the  guise  of  Spanish  noblemen  the  fear- 
some chief  of  the  bloodthirsty  banditti  and  the  king  of 
Mexican  gamblers.  Only  a  short  while  ago,  when  I 
last  saw  Gonzalez,  he  unfolded  the  whole  villainous 
scheme,  and  laughed  heartily  at  it  as  a  niost  capital 
joke.  But  for  the  fear  of  some  harm  befalling  you 
and  Alonzo  at  the  hands  of  the  brutal  chief,  I  would 
ere  this  have  warned  the  Kow  King's  daughter." 

"What  if  Guiliadza,"  ventured  Consuelo,  "in  his  dis- 
appointment and  rage  at  not  being  successful  in  his 
suit  for  the  hand  of  the  Kow  King's  daughter,  should 
do  the  family  some  harm  or  incite  to  some  outrage 
those  brutal  Comanche  Indians  with  whom  he  is  so 
friendly,  and  over  whom  he  seems  to  be  the  only 
white  man  who  can  exert  any  influence  ?" 

"Caramba!  Consuelo,  I  never  thought  of  that!" 
cried  the  girl,  springing  excitedly  from  her  couch. 
"Get  my  rifle  and  revolvers  and  fill  my  belt  brim  full 
of  cartridges,  Consuelo,  while  I  go  saddle  my 
horse." 


COWBOYS  OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  47 

In  the  next  moment  the  lithe  form  of  the  beautiful 
girl  was  bounding  like  a  deer  towards  the  corral,  con- 
cealed in  a  deep  and  almost  inaccessible  ravine  which 
the  robbers  used  to  shelter  their  horses  whilst  they 
were  sojourning  at  the  cave. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CHASING   THE    CATTLE   THIEVES. 

The  first  gray  streaks  of  dawn  had  just  appeared  in 
the  eastern  horizon  when  the  cowboy  cavalcade  halted 
on  the  prairie  for  breakfast,  after  a  hard  night's 
march. 

They  were  on  the  trail  of  the  outlaws,  but  had  not 
yet  come  within  sight  of  them,  although  they  were 
traveling  with  greater  speed,  as  the  bandits  were 
driving  the  herd,  and  their  progress  was  naturally 
slow. 

Seventy  miles  further  west  on  the  prairie  Guiliadza, 
with  his  brigands  and  Comanche  Indians,  numbering 
over  fifty  desperadoes  in  all,  were  just  rising  from 
their  night's  rest  and  preparing  for  an  early  start  on 
their  westward  journey.    The  Indians  were  rounding 

48 


COWBOYS   OF  THE    WILD   WEST.  49 

up  the  stray  cattle  which  had  wandered  of?  from  the 
main  herd  grazing. 

Guiliadza  and  his  lieutenant,  Sancho  Garcia,  a 
powerful  and  ferocious-looking  Mexican,  with  an  im- 
mense blue  scar  along  the  entire  length  of  one  side  of 
his  face,  were  bending  over  a  small  fire  frying  bacon 
and  in  earnest  conversation. 

"I  must  trust  you,  Sancho,  to  get  the  two  women 
safely  to  the  cave,  for  it  would  defeat  all  my  plans 
should  I  be  seen  and  recognized  by  either  of  them 
until  the  time  comes  for  me  to  appear  in  the  deal." 

"All  right,  Chief;  but  it  will  diminish  our  forces 
materially  to  attack  the  ranch  when  it  is  well  known 
how  strongly  it  is  fortified  and  the  number  of  cow- 
boys in  service  there." 

"Not  at  all,  Sancho,"  growled  the  Chief.  "You  may 
depend  upon  it  that  the  greater  part  of  those  cowboys 
are  on  our  trail  by  this  time,  and  we'll  have  a  fight  on 
our  hands  before  another  sun  goes  down." 

"Well,  Chief,  what  am  I  to  do?  Outline  your 
plan." 


50  COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

"Take  fifteen  men  and  start  at  once  for  the  ranch, 
and  approach  it  under  cover  of  night  from  two  oppo- 
site directions — say  five  men  from  the  east  and  ten 
from  the  west.  When  the  five  men  are  within  a  few 
hundred  yards  of  the  place  fire  off  your  guns,  raise  a 
great  racket,  as  if  you  were  stampeding  cattle.  This 
will  draw  out  the  guards  from  the  stockade.  Then, 
while  the  five  men  are  leading  the  cowboy  guards  a 
running  fight,  luring  them  further  and  further  from 
the  house,  the  other  ten  men  will  rush  in  and  capture 
the  inmates,  tie  them  on  the  extra  horses  and  start 
westward  towards  the  cave  in  Mexico." 

"Shall  I  take  all  the  inmates.  Chief?" 

"Well,  no;  leave  the  slaves.  Just  take  the  two 
women,  and  if  you  see  that  cowbow  chief,  Cal  Yan- 
cey, bring  me  his  head,  and  ten  thousand  gold  shiners 
for  you,  Sancho." 

*Tt's  a  go,  Chief.  I'll  have  his  head  or  leave 
mine " 

"To  scare  the  crows  away,"  snickered  the  Chief. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  5 1 

But  the  big  outlaw,  who  was  vain  with  all  his  ugli- 
ness, did  not  relish  the  Chief's  joke,  and  from  under 
his  shaggy  eyebrows  gave  him  a  look  which  betrayed 
the  anger  his  remark  had  excited. 

''Sancho  Garcia's  head  may  scare  the  crows  away, 
as  you  say,  Chief,  but  IVe  known  them  to  pick  the 
eyes  out  of  some  heads  whose  owners  were  overbur- 
dened with  confidence." 

"Come,  come,  Sancho,  only  a  little  pleasantry.  I 
meant  no  offense,  old  friend,"  responded  the  Chief,  in 
a  conciliatory  tone. 

"All  right.  Chief.  You  may  look  for  me  at  the  cave 
with  the  two  women.  I  will  be  there  before  you  ar- 
rive." 

"Good,  Sancho ;  and  see  that  the  women  arc  treated 
well  till  I  arrive." 

In  a  few  moments  more  and  the  big  bandit  was 
speeding  over  the  plains  with  his  fifteen  men  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  Kow  King's  ranch. 

No  sooner  was  Sancho  Garcia  out  of  sight  than  the 


52  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

herd  was  gotten  under  way,  for  the  bandit  chief  re- 
aUzed  the  importance  of  time  if  he  hoped  to  elude  his 
pursuers  until  after  he  crossed  the  Rio  Grande  and 
gained  the  mountainous  section,  where  pursuit  was 
not  only  difficult,  but  where  the  rugged  nature  of  the 
country  aiforded  greater  opportunity  for  defense. 

The  bandit  chief  had  been  a  cowboy  himself,  and  un- 
derstood the  handling  of  cattle  on  a  drive.  He  knew 
that  ten  to  fifteen  miles  a  day  was  the  limit  of  space 
that  could  be  covered  by  a  herd. 

He  also  knew  the  difficulties  attending  getting  cattle 
over  a  stream,  and  was  anxious  to  make  the  Rio 
Grande  in  time  to  allow  for  all  the  contingencies  which 
might  arise  in  the  crossing,  so  as  not  to  be  taken  at  a 
disadvantage  by  his  pursuers;  for  often  when  cattle 
strike  swimming  water  they  try  to  turn  back,  and  this 
is  termed  "milling,"  or  swimming  in  a  circle,  and 
which,  if  continued  for  any  length  of  time,  results  in 
the  drowning  of  the  animals. 

Here  it  is  where  the  daring  cowboy  leaves  his  pony, 


DASHING    AND    SPLASHING,    FRIGHTENS    THEM    IN    THE 
RIGHT  DIRECTION. 
Page  53. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  55 

doffs  his  clothing,  scrambles  over  the  backs  of  the 
cattle  and  scatters  them,  and  with  whoops  and  yells, 
dashing  and  splashing,  frightens  them  into  the  right 
direction,  and  keeps  them  headed  that  way  until  they 
reach  the  bank. 

All  day  the  bandits  traveled  steadily  onward  with 
their  stolen  herd,  and  not  until  the  setting  sun  was 
painting  the  western  sky  with  his  gorgeous  hues  of 
pink  and  fiery  red,  softly  intermingling  with  the  deli- 
cate tints  of  purple,  green  and  amethyst,  did  the  chief 
give  the  command  to  halt  for  food  and  rest 

As  is  the  custom  when  making  camp  on  the  prairies 
with  a  herd,  the  cattle  were  all  rounded  up  into  a 
small  compass  and  held  until  they  laid  down,  when 
several  men  began  to  ride-'^around  them  in  opposite 
directions,  singing  all  the  while  to  soothe  their  fears, 
lull  them  into  quietude  and  strike  terror  into  any 
prowling  beasts  of  prey  that  might  approach  too  near 
and  cause  a  stampede. 

As  darkness  began  to  spread  over  the  plains,  nu- 


56  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

merous  little  fires  of  buffalo  chips  pierced  the  gloom 
of  night,  and  from  a  distance  resembled  countless 
glow  worms,  swinging  their  little  lamps  of  phosphor- 
escent light  in  the  tall  grass  af  the  prairie.  Around 
the  fires  the  bandits  and  Indians  had  gathered,  and 
were  occupied  in  cooking,  smoking  and  enjoying  the 
few  rude  pleasures  of  their  savage  and  semi-savage 
life,  unconscious  of  the  close  and  dangerous  proximity 
of  the  Kow  King  and  his  troop  of  brave  cowboys,  led 
by  their  dauntless  chief,  Calvin  Yancey. 

''Do  you  think  they  have  discovered  us,  Cal  ?''  asked 
Colonel  Daingerford,  peering  intently  through  the 
gloom  towards  the  bandits'  camp." 

"No,  Colonel,  they  have  no  idea  how  near  we  are. 
They  are  a  wily  set,  and  are  no  doubt  sure  that  they 
are  pursued;  but  they  have  not  calculated  upon  the 
forced  marches  that  we  have  made  to  overtake 
them." 

"Quite  true;  and  I  fear,"  replied  the  Colonel,  "that 
we  have  tested  the  metal  of  our  steeds  to  a  point  be- 


'   COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  57 

yond  the  limit  of  prudence.  I  am  afraid  our  horses 
are  too  tired  to  warrant  an  attack  tonight." 

"True,  Colonel,  and  nothing,  moreover,  to  gain  by 
a  night  attack,  but  rather  the  risk  of  losing  a  good  deal 
by  the  stampede  of  the  cattle,  for,  doubtless,  many 
would  stray  off  under  cover  of  darkness  and  be  far  be- 
yond our  convenient  reach  by  daylight,  and  that  would 
lead  a  few  of  us  a  merry  chase,  which,  with  Comanches 
on  the  warpath  just  at  this  time,  would  multiply  our 
difficulties  unless  we  all  remain  together  in  formidable 
force." 

"You  speak  sensibly,  Cal,  and  we'll  abide  by  what 
you  say.  So  let  it  be  go  in  camp  for  the  night,  and 
pounce  on  the  enemy  by  the  first  signs  of  dawn." 


CHAPTER  V. 

BATTLE  WITH  THE  CATTLE  THIEVES. 

Just  as  the  first  faint  light  of  breaking  day  began 
to  dispel  the  somber  veil  of  night  which  hung  over 
the  broad  expanse  of  prarie,  the  cowboy  chief  was 
up  and  sweeping  the  horizon  with  his  field  glass  in 
the  direction  of  the  bandits'  camp. 

"They're  up  already,  Colonel  Daingerford,  and 
stirring.    They'll  soon  be  off. 

"Sound  boots  and  saddles,  Cal,"  cried  the  Colonel ; 
"we'll  not  give  them  a  chance  to  get  away  from  us 
without  killing  and  capturing  some  of  them,  if  they 
should  try  to  abandon  the  herd  and  escape." 

Answering  with  alacrity  to  the  sound  of  the 
bugle,  the  cowboys  vaulted  nimbly  into  their  sad- 
dles, and  at  the  word  of  command  fifty  little  ponies 

S8 


COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  59 

shot  out  like  a  cloud  of  arrows  from  a  battalion  of 
archers,  bearing  their  masters  over  the  billowy 
prairie  with  the  swiftness  of  the  wind. 

Yelling  and  shouting,  holding  the  carbines  aloft 
and  swinging  them  around,  the  troop  advanced 
upon  the  camp  of  the  outlaws  and  Indians,  who, 
surprised  at  the  suddenness  of  the  approach  of  their 
pursuers,  were  chasing,  helter  skelter,  in  every  di- 
rection and  gathering  up  their  arms,  which  were 
lying  about  on  the  ground  with  the  blankets  that 
had  served  them  for  their  rude  couches  during  the 
night. 

In  a  few  moments  the  Indians  were  mounted  and 
had  formed  their  battle  line,  and  the  bandit  chief, 
with  the  desperadoes  of  his  gang,  were  scattered 
here  and  there  through  their  ranks. 

When  within  about  five  hundred  yards  of  the  out- 
laws, the  cowboys  resorted  to  a  ruse  well  known 
and  often  practiced  by  them  when  engaged  with 
superior  numbers  in  Indian  warfare. 


6o  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD    WEST. 

"Halt  and  dismount!"  rang  out  the  order  from 
the  cowboy  chief. 

In  an  instant  every  man  was  on  his  feet  and  the 
well-trained  little  ponies  were  lying  on  the  ground 
in  a  compact  body. 

At  the  head  of  his  men,  Cal  Yancey  advanced, 
tall,  graceful,  brave  as  a  lion,  the  cowboys  firing,  as 
they  moved  forward,  with  telling  effect,  whilst 
every  now  and  then  one  of  their  number  would  fall 
to  the  ground,  stricken  with  a  bullet  and  was  car- 
ried to  the  rear  and  hidden  in  the  tall  grass. 

In  another  instant  the  Indians  came  swarming 
down  upon  the  heroic  band  of  cowboys  with  the 
fury  of  a  host  of  demons  vomited  from  the  fiery 
crater  of  a  volcano,  threatening  to  swallow  them 
up  in  one  great  torrent  of  fire. 

But  the  cowboy  chief,  like  Leonidas  at  Thermo- 
pole,  stemmed  the  onrushing  tide  and  from  the  blaz- 
ing muzzles  of  their  carbines  a  dea41y  hail  of  leaden 
missiles  mowed  down  the  red  devils  and  bandits 


COWBOYS    OF   THE    WILD    WEST.  6l 

as  wheat  stalks  fall  before  scythes  of  the  harvesters. 
The  fight  continued  with  unabated  fury  for  half  an 
hour,  and  the  day  was  almost  won  for  the  cowboys, 
when  a  great  calamity  spread  its  dismal  shadow 
over  the.  little  band  and  for  a  few  minutes  made 
them  hesitate  and  falter  in  their  gallant  fight.  The 
brave  old  Colonel  Daingerford  had  sunk  down  into 
the  deep  grass.  A  bullet  had  cleaved  a  pathway 
through  his  heart.  Like  a  mighty  oak,  shivered  by 
a  lightning's  bolt,  he  fell,  a  crimson  stream  spurting 
from  his  breast,  as  he  gasped  in  a  last  effort  to  utter 
a  parting  word  to' the  cowboy  chief,  who  was  bend- 
ing over  him  and  trying  to  staunch  the  flow  of  blood. 

"All  over  with  me,  Cal,  my  boy;  look  to  your- 
selves and  carry  my  dying  blessing  to  my  daugh- 
ter  " 

The  last  words  were  spoken  in  a  whisper  so  feeble 
that  the  chief  could  barely  hear  them,  and  before 
he  could  reply  the  brave  spirit  of  the  old  soldier  had 
been  gathered  to  his  Father's  and  his  comrades  in 


62  COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

arms  who  had  fallen  on  the  battlefields  of  Mexico. 

Wiping  away  the  grime  of  powder  that  had  set- 
tled on  his  face,  the  cowboy  chief  sprang  to  his 
feet,  his  brows  knit,  his  teeth  set  and  his  entire  face 
taking  on  a  fierce  expression  of  determination, 
which  bid  fair  to  end  the  conflict  by  victory  for  the 
brave  cowboy  band. 

Encouraged  by  the  temporary  appearance  of  con- 
fusion in  the  ranks  of  the  cowboys,  the  Indians  and 
bandits  came  swarming  down  upon  them  in  a  des- 
perate charge  to  annihilate  them  at  one  fell  swoop. 
But  in  the  twinkle  of  an  eye  the  cowboys  formed  a 
hollow  square  and  met  the  rush  and  roar  of  the 
infuriated  demons  with  a  fire  of  such  rapidity  and 
deadly  effect  as  to  cause  fearful  havoc  in  the  ad- 
vancing body  of  the  enemy,  the  battle  line  of  which 
was  entirely  broken  and  began  to  assume  the  ap- 
pearance of  scattered  stumps  in  a  mill  pond. 

In  the  next  moment  the  remaining  cowboys  were 
all  mounted  and  in  hot  pursuit  of  the  marauders. 


COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  63 

who,  terrified  by  their  own  heavy  losses  and  the 
Herculean  fighting  of  the  cowboys,  had  turned  and 
were  flying  in  every  direction  across  the  plains, 
abandoning  the  herd  and  glad  to  escape  with  their 
lives. 

For  several  miles  the  cowboys  kept  up  the  chase  ; 
finally  abandoning  it  to  round  up  the  herd,  which 
had  stampeded,  while  some  of  them  hastened  back 
to  the  scene  of  battle  to  minister  to  their  wounded 
comrades. 

Two  of  the  cowboys,  besides  the  Kow  King,  were 
killed  and  eight  wounded,  but  none  seriously,  thus 
making  the  casualties  of  the  cowboy  outfit  very 
light  in  numbers  when  compared  with  the  thirty 
ghostly  corpses  of  the  Indians  and  bandits  with 
which  the  bloody  field  was  strewn.  Ten  more  of 
the  outlaw  forces  were  scattered  over  the  field,  des- 
perately wounded  and  shrieking  in  agony  of  pain. 

"Come,  boys,"  cried  Cal,  "lift  our  old  employer's 
remains  tenderly  and  place  them  in  the  commissary 


64  COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

wagon.  Then  use  all  the  space  available  for  our 
wounded,  and  use  also  the  cook  wagon. 

"I  will  take  ten  men  and  go  ahead  to  the  ranch 
and  break  the  sad  news  to  the  family,  while  the  rest 
of  you  may  follow  on  as  escort  for  the  dead  and 
wounded." 

"How  about  the  enemy's  wounded,  chief?'*  asked 
Shorty,  the  cook. 

"Those  that  have  any  chance  to  recover,  you  can, 
several  of  you,  bandage  them  up.  Then  leave  them 
some  water  for  the  present.  As  soon  as  we  are  out 
of  sight  some  of  their  pals  will  return  and  carry 
them  away  and  bury  their  dead." 


CHAPTER  VI. 


KIDNAPPING  OF  GYP. 


"  Tore  de  Lawd,  Miss  Gyp !"  stammered  Uncle 
Eph,  all  in  a  tremble,  as  he  passed  around  the  table 
waiting  upon  the  two  ladies  and  the  cowboy  guards 
as  they  sat  at  supper  on  the  second  night  after  Sancho 
Garcia  had  left  the  bandit  chief  on  his  villainous  mis- 
sion. "  Tore  de  Lawd,  Fse  so  oneasy.  I  feels  dat  sum- 
pin's  gwine  fer  to  happen.  Old  Mandy's  don  bin 
hearin'  de  sperrits  er  rappin'  all  las'  night,  an'  we 
couldn't  sleep  fer  de  racket  wot  dey  made." 

''Nonsense,  Uncle  Eph,"  interrupted  Miss  Priscilla, 
reprovingly,  "you  must  not  pay  attention  to  such  fool- 
ishness. It  was  Just  the  wind  rattling  the  shutters  of 
your  cabin." 

*'Qr  maybe  Uncle  Eph  heard  his  own  teeth  chatter- 
65 


66  COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

ing/'  laughed  Tody  Rockbridge,  a  handsome  young 
cowboy  who  had  been  only  a  short  time  in  the  Kow 
King's  employ,  but  had  already  made  himself  a  general 
favorite  with  everybody. 

"Come,  Tody,  don't  poke  fun  at  Uncle  Eph," 
chimed  in  Hoke  Barry,  a  grizzly  old  cow  puncher,  who 
had  been  many  years  in  the  service  of  Colonel  Dain- 
gerford,  and  who  was  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  fam- 
ily, who  always  addressed  and  spoke  of  him  as  Uncle 
Hoke.  **You  know.  Tody,"  continued  Hoke,  "Aunt 
Mandy  was  a  seventh  daughter  and  was  born  with  a 
caul  and  a  veil." 

"Ole  Mandy  sholy  does  see  sperrits,"  insisted  Uncle 
Eph,  impressively,  and  with  a  solemn  shake  of  his 
white,  woolly  head. 

"Don't  talk  about  such  wierd  things,  Uncle  Eph," 
cried  Gyp,  shuddering,  "you  frighten  me,  especially  as 
papa  is  away  on  that  dangerous  trip." 

Gyp,  like  nearly  all  the  Southern  children,  raised 
in  remote  sections,  had  imbibed  many  of  the  supersti- 


"'fore  DE  la  WD,  I'SE  SO  ONEASY/ 
Page  d'j. 


COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  69 

tions  of  the  negroes,  and  firmly  believed  in  manifesta- 
tions from  the  unseen  world. 

Then,  as  if  nerving  herself  to  an  ordeal  which  al- 
ways caused  her  much  alarm,  and  yet  which,  impelled 
by  an  unsurmountable  curiosity,  she  could  not  resist, 
she  turned  to  Uncle  Eph. 

"Never  mind,  Uncle  Eph,  you  can  tell  what  you 
heard." 

"  T  warn^t  me,  little  Missie ;  't  war  ole  Mandy  wat 
seed  dc  sights.    I  dun  only  heerd  de  knockin's." 

"May  be  'twas  your  knees  knockin'  together.  Uncle 
Eph,"  joined  in,  with  a  boisterous  laugh.  Hank  Hardy, 
a  big,  jovial  cowboy,  who  enjoyed  the  euphonious  so- 
briquet of  "Happy  Hank." 

"No,  honey,  'twar  not  Uncle  Eph's  laigs ;  't  war  de 
sperrits  sho." 

"Call  Aunt  Mandy  and  let  me  talk  to  her.  Uncle 
Eph,"  cried  Gyp. 

Another  moment  and  the  old  slave  entered  the  room, 
followed  by  Uncle  Eph. 


yO  COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

**Her  eyes  were  distended  to  an  abnormal  size  and 
an  expression  of  tense  excitement  played  over  her  eb- 
ony features,  indicating  a  severe  mental  struggle  to 
overcome  the  terror  with  which  she  was  possessed. 

"What's  that  Uncle  Eph  has  been  telling  us,  Aunt 
Mandy,"  cried  Gyp,  turning  a  shade  paler  upon  ob- 
serving the  perturbation  of  the  old  negress. 

"Oh,  little  honey,  I  dassn't  tole  ye,''  gasped  the  old 
woman,  her  bosom  heaving  with  excitement,  "  't  war 
too  turrible — too  turrible,  honey." 

"Go  'hed,  Mandy,  and  tole  little  Missie  wat  ye  seed." 

"Well,  Eph,  if  I  muss  I  will,  but  I  won't  tole  all, 
and  dey's  no  use  fer  to  ax  me." 

"Well,  Aunt  Mandy,"  rose  in  chorus  from  the  two 
ladies  and  some  of  the  cowboys,  "go  on  and  tell  us." 

"Well,  yc  see,  little  Missie,"  spoke  the  old  woman, 
in  a  low,  broken  voice,  "I  war  just  gwine  ter  git  mah 
second  nap,  jist  arter  day  begin  ter  break.  Dc  gray 
light  war  just  beginning  to  creep  tru  de  chinks  in  de 
doah;  but  't  war  dark  in  de  cabin.     When  all  ov  a 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  7I 

suddin'  dere  war  a  monstrous  noise,  which  follered 
a  whole  lot  ov  raps  'round  de  cabin,  an'  de  whole  side 
ov  de  cabin  done  fell  out,  and  I  seed  a  whole  lot  ov  men 
in  de  dim  light  o'  dawn,  an'  dey  was  divided  inter  two 
bands,  and  in  one  band  I  seed  old  Marse  and  Marse 
Cal,  an'  de  odder  band  war  full  o'  Indians  and,  purty 
soon  dey  was  fightin',  an'  I  heerd  de  guns  go  oflE  an' 
seed  de  Indians  cavortin'  around  tru  de  smoke  on  dere 
horses,  and  den  de  smoke  got  so  thick  dat  I  couldn't 
see  no  mo',  sep — sep — sep "  > 

"Except  what?"  cried  Gyp,  springing  to  her  feet  and 
looking  intently  and  anxiously  into  the  old  woman's 
face. 

"Sep  nuttin',  honie ;  dat  was  all.'' 

And  Mandy  beat  a  hasty  retreat  to  the  kitchen,  fol- 
lowed by  Uncle  Eph. 

"I  didn't  have  de  heart  foh  ter  tole  her,  Ephrum,'* 
gasped  the  old  negress;  "but  sho  as  you  is  born, 
Ephrum,  I  seed  old  Marse  killed." 

"Oh,  Lordie !  Lordie !  Lordie !"  wailed  the  old  black 


y2  COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

man.    'Toh  ole  Marse.  I  don't  dun  believe  it,  Mandy." 

Just  here  Uncle  Eph's  lamentations  were  interrtipted 
by  a  series  of  demonaical  yells  emanating  from  the 
prairie  just  east  of  the  stockade. 

''What's  that?''  cried  Uncle  Hoke,  sprnging  to  his 
feet.    "Indians!" 

"Indians  or  more  cattle  thieves,"  said  Happy 
Hank. 

"Must  be  Indians.     Cattle  thieves  wouldn't  yell 
*  like  that,"  retorted  Uncle  Hoke. 

"I  never  knew  cattle  thieves  to  make  any  noise 
and  invite  interruption  to  their  game.  But,  what- 
ever it  may  be,  all  hands  to  the  guns." 

In  another  instant  every  cowboy  had  seized  his 
carbine  and  was  making  for  his  porthole,  where  the 
different  big  guns  for  defense  of  the  ranch  were 
mounted. 

As  the  men  took  their  positions  at  the  guns  Uncle 
Hoke  moved  around,  giving  instructions  how  to  act 
in  case  of  an  attack. 


COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  73 

Gyp  and  her  spinster  cousin  took  a  little  rapid- 
fire  gun,  whose  formidable  muzzle  emerged  from  a 
small  porthole  just  under  the  eaves  of  the  roof,  the 
gun  being  mounted  on  an  elevated  platform  in  ona 
end  of  the  grand  salon,  which  was  accessible  by  a 
shoj-t  ladder.  This  gun  commanded  a  sweeping 
zone  of  space,  describing  a  large  segment  of  a  circle 
in  both  directions  from  the  main  entrance  to  the 
stockade  which  surrounded  the  ranch  house. 

Gyp  had  been  well  trained  by  her  father  to  the 
handling  of  the  gun,  and  with  firearms  of  all  kind^ 
this  beautiful  girl  of  the  plains  was  as  expert  as  tha 
most  experienced  cowboy. 

In  all  the  hazardous  sports  of  cowboy  life  Gyp 
was  as  much  at  home  as  she  was  in  the  more  re- 
fined and  feminine  accomplishments  of  the  draw- 
ing-room. 

To  put  seven  shots  in  an  ace  of  hearts  from  a  re- 
volver in  rapid  sucession  was  a  feat  which  offered 
no  greater  obstacle  to  her  skill  than  the  sweep  of  her 
delicate  hand  over  the  strings  of  her  guitar. 


^4  COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

She  was  an  adept  in  the  use  of  the  lariat,  and 
could  rope  a  wild  steer  or  break  a  stubborn  bucking 
broncho  with  equal  certainty  and  ease. 

Now  the  yelling  on  the  outside  of  the  stockade 
broke  out  with  renewed  fury,  and  was  supple- 
mented by  the  discharge  of  carbines,  until  it  seemed 
that  pandemonium  had  broken  loose,  and  the  up- 
roar was  approaching  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  main 
entrance  of  the  stockade. 

Then  a  furious  battering  upon  the  big  gate  of  oak 
staves,  threatening  it  with  demolition,  began. 

'They  are  battering  down  the  gate,  Gyp,"  yelled 
Uncle  Hoke. 

A  deafening  roar  followed  the  words  of  Uncle 
Hoke  as  Gyp  opened  fire,  pouring  a  hail  of  shot  in 
the  direction  of  the  big  gate. 

The  steady  stream  of  shot  and  the  thunder  of  the 
quick-firing  gun  was  greeted  by  loud  and  hoarse 
shouts  of  defiance  by  the  attacking  party  at  first, 
but  gradually  the  yells  became  fainter  and  fainter 


COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  75 

as  the  asailants  retreated  through  the  darkness  out 

on  the  prairie  towards  the  east. 

"We've  got  'em  on  the  run,  Uncle  Hoke,"  shouted 

Happy  Hank. 
"Then  let  all  hands  make  a  dash  for  the  corral, 

mount  our  horses  and  give  chase/'  yelled  Uncle 

Hoke,  making  a  dash  for  the  corral,  followed  by  the 

entire  force  of  cowboys. 

Five  minutes  later  and  the  ladies  who  remained 
in  the  house  could  hear  the  beating  of  their  horses' 
hoofs  as  the  cowboys  sped  away  across  the  prairie 
through  the  darkness  after  the  supposed  Indians, 
little  suspecting  the  ruse  perpetrated  upon  them 
and  the  treachery  of  the  villainous  Alvero  Guili- 
adza,  executed  by  his  cutthroat  lieutenant,  Sancho 
Garcia. 

"Goow  Lawd,  have  mercy  on  us !"  screamed  Aunt 
Mandy,  running  into  the  drawing-room  from  the 
kitchen,  closely  followed  by  Uncle  Eph,  who  was 
all  in  a  tremble.     "Lawd  have  mercy  on  us,  little 


*j^  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

Missie.  We's  all  alone  in  dis  big  house  without 
nary  man  sep  old  Ephrum,  an'  he  am  no  good  no 
mo'  when  Injuns  am  about." 

"Quiet  yourselft  Aunt  Mandy,"  exclaimed  Gyp, 
reassuringly,  as  she  came  down  the  ladder  from  the 
gun  platform;  "the  boys  are  after  the  Indians,  and 
they'll  soon  be  back  with  enough  Indian  scalps  to 
make  a  hair  lariat  a  hundred  yards  long." 

But  Aunt  Mandy  and  Uncle  Eph  would  not  be 
consoled,  and  the  old  couple  settled  down  on  their 
knees  in  a  corner  and  began  to  wail  and  pray,  call- 
ing vociferously  upon  the  "Good  Lawd"  to  save 
them  from  the  Comanche  devils. 

"Stop  your  praying,  Aunt  Mandy,"  commanded 
Miss  Priscilla,  "and  get  into  the  kitchen.  "Don't 
you  hear  the  horses  coming  back,  and  the  men 
hadn't  finished  their  supper,  poor  things,  when  they 
were  interrupted  by  those  red  devils." 

As  Miss  Priscilla  spoke  the  sound  of  the  galloping 
horses  grew  more  and  more  distinct,  and  before  the 


COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  77 

old  slaves  had  left  the  room  the  sounds  ceased  and 
a  voice  from  the  main  gate  sung  out : 

"All  right,  Gyp,  we're  back.  Come  open  the  main 
gate.    Someone  has  locked  it." 

The  gate  was  not  locked,  but  the  wily  Sancho, 
suspecting  that  the  women  were  alone,  and  know- 
ing Gyp's  prowess  with  the  terrible  rapid-fire  gun, 
planned  to  have  her  come  to  the  gate,  thereby  in- 
suring safety  for  himself  and  his  desperate  band 
from  the  havoc  which  would  follow  in  case  Gyp  dis- 
covered them  and  suspected  their  design  if  they  ap- 
proached the  house. 

"That  sounds  like  a  strange  voice  to  me,"  whis- 
pered Gyp  to  Miss  Priscilla. 

"Ask  who  it  is.  Gyp." 

"Who  are  you?"  shouted  Gyp. 

"It's  I,  Uncle  Hoke,"  replied  the  cunning  villain, 
Sancho,  who  had  been  posted  by  his  chief. 

"I  guess  it's  all  right,  Prissie — just  the  boys  re- 
turning.    They  must  have  locked  the  gate  when 


78  COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

they  left,  I'll  go  let  'em  in,"  and  Gyp  ran  nimbly 
off  to  open  the  gate. 

In  another  moment  a  shriek  of  terror  cleft  the 
sombre  gloom,  as  Gyp  was  firmly  seized  by  the 
burly  brigand  and  thrown  to  the  ground  as  the 
gang  of  desperadoes  gathered  around  her  in  the 
darkness,  while  some  of  them  deftly  tied  her  hands 
behind  her  back  and  lifted  her  on  to  a  pony  stand- 
ing in  readiness. 

"Now  for  the  other  woman,  boys,"  muttered  the 
lieutenant. 

With  a  rush  half  a  dozen  of  the  burly  robbers  en- 
tered the  house,  and  returned  carrying  the  old  maid, 
who  was  screaming  at  the  top  of  her  voice,  while 
kicking  and  biting  like  an  untamed  mustang  when 
being  broken  to  the  saddle. 

"Quit  that  kicking  and  biting,  you  old  fried  egg" 
roared  a  big  bandit,  into  whose  ponderous  fist  the 
spinster  had  left  her  new  false  teeth  fastened  with 
the  vise-like  grip  of  a  lobster's  claw. 


COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  79 

"Let  loose  them  teeth  or  I'll  stretch  that  long 
throat  o'  yourn  till  it'll  make  an  ostrich's  neck  look 
short  as  a  monkey's  thumb/' 

"Stop  hurtin'  me,  you  brute.  I  can't  let  loose  the 
teeth ;  they've  got  loose  from  me  and  they're  biting 
on  their  own  hook." 

In  a  few  moments  more  the  spinster  was  placed 
upon  a  mustang,  tied  similarly  to  Gyp,  and,  led  by 
two  of  the  bandits,  the  cavalcade  shot  out  west- 
ward over  the  plains,  bound  westward  for  the  Rio 
Grande. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


CARMENCITA. 


Uncle  Eph,  who  had  followed  Miss  Priscilla  and* 
her  captors  to  the  main  gate,  keeping  at  a  safe  dis- 
tance behind,  and  dodging  behind  the  stunted 
shrubbery  which  lined  the  pathway,  had  just  re- 
turned, a  pitiable  object  of  abject  fear. 

"Mandy,"  he  gasped,  "dey's  done  tuk  off  de  little 
Missies.  Dey  muss  er  bin  two  bunches  o'  them 
pesky  red  niggers." 

"Oh,  Lawdie!  oh,  Lawdie!  sabe  us!"  screamed 
the  old  negress,  in  a  paroxism  of  terror,  and  rolling 
over  and  over  on  the  floor,  where  she  had  fallen 
from  sheer  fright. 

"Sh !  sh !"  cautioned  Uncle  Eph,  placing  his  ample 

black  hand  over  the  old  woman*s  mouth.    "Stop  dat 

80 


COWBOYS    OF    THE    WILD    WEST.  8l 

yelHn',  Manciy;  dey'll  hear  yer  and  come  back  and 
kill  us  bote.  Dere  now,  I  hear  'em  comin'  back 
now." 

Uncle  Eph's  admonitions  were  just  then  inter- 
rupted by  the  sudden  appearance  of  a  beautiful 
woman,  who  rushed  excitedly  into  the  house  and 
stood  for  a  moment  at  the  entrance  of  the  salon, 
looking  dumbfounded  at  the  sight  of  the  two  cow- 
ering old  slaves  which  met  her  gaze. 

For  a  moment  she  stood  rooted  to  the  spot,  her 
great  black  eyes  flashing  in  the  bright  light  of  the 
great  center  lamp  as  its  rays  fell  full  upon  her  beau- 
tiful face,  transforming  her  whole  person  into  a 
picture  of  ravishing  beauty,  the  doorway  forming  a 
frame  and  the  somber  night  outside  a  background. 

Recovering  from  her  amazement  and  advancing 
into  the  room,  she  cried: 

"What's  the  matter  with  you  two?  Where's  Gyp 
Daingerford.    I  must  see  her  at  once." 

"Oh,  golly,  golly,  little  Missie,  who  is  you?" 
blurted  the  terrified  Mandy. 


82  COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

"Come,  talk  quick,  Auntie.  I'm  Carmencita,  a 
friend  of  your  young  mistress.    Where  is  she?" 

"Oh,  Missie,  Missie,"  moaned  the  two  old  slaves 
in  unison,  "sumpin  turible  jist  dun  happen.  De  In- 
juns dun  took  Miss  Gyp  and  Miss  Prissie  away. 
Gh,  Lawdie!  Lawdie!" 

"Where's  the  Colonel?  Where  are  all  the  white 
folks?"  asked  Carmencita,  excitedly. 

"All  dun  gone,  Missie.  We  is  here  alone,  if  dey 
don't  come  back  and  tuk  us,  too.  De  cowboy  gem- 
men  done  gone  arter  some  Injuns,  an'  while  dey 
war  gone  some  mo'  dun  come  an  tuk  de  little  Mis- 
sies o&.  Oh,  Lawdie!  Lawdie!"  wailed  the  old 
woman,  rocking  back  and  forth  in  her  seat  on  the 
floor  and  wringing  her  hands. 

When  Uncle  Hoke  and  the  rest  of  the  cowboys 
left  the  house  in  pursuit  of  the  bandits  they  were 
fully  ten  minutes  behind  them,  which  meant  a  good 
start  for  the  outlaws,  mounted  on  their  swift  horses 
and  with  the  impenetrable  darkness  of  a  starless 
night  to  cover  their  retreat. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  83 

When  the  bandits  started  off  eastward  over  the 

plains  they  kept  up  a  great  racket  for  a  few  miles, 

« 

shouting,  yeling  and  firing  off  their  guns,  which 
enabled  the  cowboys  to  keep  well  upon  their  trail, 
and  which  was  just  the  end  which  the  wily  outlaws 
wanted  to  acomplish. 

After  they  had  in  this  way  decoyed  the  pursuing 
cowboys  several  miles  from  the  ranch,  tliey  sud- 
denly ceased  their  demonstrations,  and,  veering 
around  in  a  broad  circle,  they  doubled  on  their 
tracks,  heading  due  west,  passing  the  cowboys  at  a 
distance  sufficient  to  prevent  the  sound  of  their 
horses'  hoofs  being  detected,  and  were  soon  lost  in 
the  heavy  veil  of  darkness  which  hung  over  the 
broad  expanse  of  prairie.  After  proceeding  for  sev- 
eral miles  after  they  had  lost  the  trail.  Uncle  Hoke 
called  a  halt. 

"This  chase  is  growing  monotonous.  I  think  we 
are  on  a  f ruitles  hunt  now,  boys,"  he  said ;  "there  is 
no  sound  to  guide  us  now,  and  it  would  be  useless 
to  try  and  follow  the  trail  in  the  darkness." 


84  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

'Well,  Uncle  Hoke,  it's  back  to  the  ranch  then," 
asquiesced  Tody  Rockbridge;  *'weVe  given  them  a 
merry  chase,  but  I  guess  the  odds  are  against  us.'* 
And,  turning  in  their  tracks,  the  little  band  headed 
for  the  ranch,  urging  on  their  spirited  little  ponies 
at  full  speed. 

^'What's  your  name,  Uncle?"  asked  Carmencita, 
addressing  the  old  servant. 

*'Uncle  Ephrum  was  my  name,  little  Missie,  but 
I  ain't  sho'  of  anything  jist  now,  dey's  such  queer 
things  happenin'." 

''Well,  Uncle  Eph,  I  see  it  all,"  cried  the  girl,  and 
we  mtist  have  aid,  and  that  quickly.  Now  you  give 
the  alarm — ring  the  ranch  bell — and  what's  that  up 
there?"  continued  the  girl,  pointing  to  the  gun  on 
the  elevated  platform. 

"Dat  de  sheen  gun,  Missie." 

"Oh,  I  see — the  machine  gun,"  repeated  Carmen- 
cita. "Well,  I'll  take  a  few  shots  wl^ile  you  ring  the 
bell,  and  if  any  of  the  cowboys  are  within  hearing 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  85 

they'll  come  to  us  before  some  of  those  vandals 
come  back,  murder  us  all  and  loot  the  house/' 

But  it  was  not  the  intention  of  the  outlaws  to  loot 
the  ranch.  They  had  carried  out  successfully  the 
orders  of  their  chief,  and  were  now  well  on  their 
way  towards  the  Rio  Grande  with  the  treasure  they 
had  been  sent  for. 

Mounting  the  platform,  the  girl  began  to  pour  vol- 
ley after  volley  from  the  lips  of  the  vicious  little  gun 
with  all  the  skill  of  a  practiced  hand  while  the  deep, 
sonorous  notes  from  the  great  ranch  bell  floated  out 
through  the  dense  gloom  over  the  prairie. 

"Suddenly  the  bell  ceased  and  Carmencita  turned 
from  her  position  at  the  gun,  attracted  by  the  shuffling 
of  feet  in  the  room,  occasioned  by  the  entrance  of 
Uncle  Eph,  who  breathlessly  announced : 

"I  hears  'em  comin',  Missie." 

And  in  a  moment  more  the  sound  of  galloping 
horses,  mingled  with  the  defiant  whoop  of  the  cow- 
boys, broke  upon  the  ears  of  the  girl  as  she  descended 
the  ladder  from  the  platform  into  the  room. 


86  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

A  few  moments  later  and  Uncle  Hoke,  followed  by 
the  rest  of  his  little  band,  rushed  into  the  salon. 

*' What's  up?''  exclaimed  the  old  cowboy,  excitedly. 
Then,  noticing  Carmcncita,  he  continued:  "What,  my 
little  friend !  You  out  here  in  the  wilds  ?  I  never  ex- 
pected to  see  you  so  far  away  from  the  rattle  of  the 
checks — and  in  cowgirl  costume,  too.  What  friendly 
wind  has  blown  you  this  way,  my  bonnie  lassie  ?" 

"Just  on  a  mission  of  friendship,  Mr.  Barry;  but 
too  late  to  be  of  any  service  just  now  to  my  friend 
Gyp,  although  I  have  ridden  night  and  day  all  the  way 
from  old  Mexico  to  save  her  father  from  the  depreda- 
tions of  that  villain  Guiliadza  and  his  band." 

"Guiliadza !"  repeated  Uncle  Hoke,  looking  puzzled. 
"Why,  that's  the  Spanish  nobleman — the  Colonel's 
friend." 

"Humph!"  ejaculated  Carmencita,  with  a  sneering 
curl  of  her  pretty  lips;  "Spanish  nobleman,  indeed! 
Spanish  devil— the  boldest  robber  on  the  border,  chief 
of  the  most  desperate  gang  of  cattle  thieves  and  out- 
laws that  infest  the  Southwest." 


COWBOYS  OF  THE  WILD  WEST.  8^ 

"Why,  surely  you  cannot  mean  that,  Senorita?"  re- 
plied Uncle  Hoke. 

"Don't  I  know?"  rejoined  the  girl.  "I  have  just 
come  from  his  stronghold  in  Mexico.  I  learned  that 
he  was  on  an  expedition  against  Colonel  Daingerford, 
and,  knowing  that  there  is  no  limit  to  the  deviltry  of 
which  he  is  capable,  I  have  tracked  the  gang  here  to 
warn  Gyp  and  her  father — but  too  late,  too  late !" 

"Too  late  ?  Why,  what  do  you  mean  T'  cried  Uncle 
Hoke,  in  alarm. 

"They  have  kidnapped  Gyp  and  her  cousin,"  cried 
the  girl,  choking  back  a  sob,  her*  throat  convulsed  with 
the  intensity  of  her  excitement  and  distress. 

"What!  What!  Kidnapped  the  women?"  roared 
the  cowboys  in  chorus. 

"Yes,  Marse  Hoke,"  groaned  Uncle  Eph,  "dey  come 
back  just  after  ve  left  and  dun  took  away  de  little 
Missies." 

"I  see  It  all!"  yelled  Tody  Rockbridge,  "they've 
tricked  us." 


88  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

*'Yes/'  interrupted  Carmencita,  "I  know  how  they 
work.  They  have  employed  a  common  ruse  when  pre- 
paring to  rob  a  ranch.  They  first  lure  away  the  guards 
with  one  gang  and  then  pounce  down  upon  their  prey 
with  another." 

"And,"  moaned  Uncle  Hoke,  "while  we  have  been 
pursuing  a  decoy  they  have  perpetrated  this  crime."      ^ 

"Exactly  so/'  hissed  the  high-spirited  Tody,  as  a 
sulphurous  imprecation  escaped  from  between  his 
clenched  teeth. 

"Let's  mount  at  once  and  follow  them,"  commanded 
Uncle  Hoke. 

"No  use  to  do  that,"  ventured  Carmencita,  with  ani- 
mation, and  almost  authoritatively. 

"Why  not?"  retorted  Uncle  Hoke,  impatiently. 

"Simply  because  you  would  be  wasting  time  to  no 
good  purpose,"  firmly  asserted  the  girl. 

"How  so?  How  so?  Explain  yourself!'^  cried 
Uncle  Hoke,  eyeing  the  girl  with  a  curious  admixture 
of  suspicion  and  surprise  at  the  firmness  of  her  atti- 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD    WEST.  89 

tude  and  determined  tone  of  her  voice.  "Why  not 
proceed  and  give  chase  at  once  ?'' 

"Listen  to  me,  Mr.  Barry/'  said  Carmencita,  drop- 
ping her  voice  to  almost  a  whisper  and  leading  Uncle 
Hoke  apart  from  the  others.  ''I  know  what  is  best  to 
be  done,  and  you  will  think  so,  too,  when  I  tell  you 
what  I  know ;  but  for  the  present  it  may  be  better  that 
the  knowledge  is  confined  to  you  alone,  as  my  mother, 
my  brother  and  myself  will  be  exposed  to  great  danger 
should  it  be  discovered  that  I  am  instrumental  m 
thwarting  the  evil  designs  of  the  bandit  chief.'' 

"Most  extraordinary!"  mused  Uncle  Hoke.  Then, 
replying  to  Carmencita,  he  continued:  "I  do  not  un- 
derstand all  this  mystery.  In  what  way,  girl,  are  you 
connected  with  these  robbers  ?  I  thought  when  last  I 
played  monte  in  Laredo  that  your  occupation  was  a 
dealer  for  the  fickle  goddess  in  the  gilded  haunts  of 
border  civilization,  and  now  I  find  you  ostensibly  doing 
the  good  Samaritan  at  a  remote  ranch  on  the  plains  of 
Texas/' 


90  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

"Very  true,  Mr.  Barry,  but  there  is  a  key  to  every 
mystery  if- one  could  but  always  put  one's  hands  upon 
it.  But  come,  I  will  briefly  clear  up  this  mystery  for 
you  and  at  the  same  time  lead  you  to  the  stronghold 
of  the  bandits,  where  I  am  sure  the  ladies  will  be 
found;  but  I  must  rely  upon  your  good  judgment  and 
discretion  to  do  nothing  that  may  jeopardize  the  safety 
of  my  mother  and  brother,  both  of  whom  we  will  find 
there.  Now,  in  a  word,  that  you  may  know  why  we 
are  in  such  company,  let  me  say  that  it  all  happened 
through  my  brother's  political  connections  in  Mexico. 
When  indicted  and  pursued  by  the  government  he 
sought  and  was  afforded  protection  by  the  bandit 
chief,  Guiliadza,  and  in  that  way  my  mother  and  I 
happened  also  to  fall  into  his  power.  Besides,  Ramon 
Gonzalez,  the  gambler,  who  was  my  employer,  and 
whom  you  know,  is  a  friend  of  the  bandit  chief,  and 
he  must  not  know— just  yet,  at  least — for  reasons  of 
my  own  that  I  am  a  party  to  what  they  will  all  con- 
sider treachery,  and  punish  it,  if  they  can,  with  the 
most  refined  cruelty." 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  QI 

"Well,  Carmencita,  you  may  depend  upon  my  dis- 
cretion not  only  to  proceed  with  great  caution,  so  that 
no  harm  will  befall  your  relatives,  but  we  will  see  to 
it,  too,  as  soon  as  we  rescue  Gyp  and  Miss  Priscilla, 
that  some  safer  retreat  than  the  bandit's  lair  is  pro- 
vided for  you  and  your  mother." 

"And  my  brother?''  ventured  Carmencita,  in  a  sad 
tone,  her  great,  soft  black  eyes  looking  appealingly  into 
the  face  of  the  sturdy  old  cowboy. 

"And  your  brother,  too,  Carmencita.  Some  decent 
work  and  association  shall  be  provided  for  him.  I  am 
sure  the  Kow  King  will  give  him  a  place  in  his  ser- 
vice." 

Uncle  Hoke  little  suspected  when  encouraging  Car- 
mencita by  his  unstinted  praise  of  the  Kow  King's 
generosity  that  all  which  remained  of  the  good  Colonel 
was  on  its  way  to  the  ranch,  a  lifeless  form,  in  the  big 
commissary  wagon,  and  attended  by  his  faithful  band 
of  cowboys. 

"Oh,  thank  you,  Mr.  Barry.     I  will  be  so  happy 


92  COWBOYS    OF   THE    WILD    WEST. 

when  I  can  find  some  more  congenial  surroundings 
for  my  mother  and  myself,  and  I  am  sure  my  brother 
would  be  more  than  contented  to  serve  the  Kow  King, 
for  his  connection  with  the  outlaws  was  not  one  of 
choice,  but  of  necessity." 

"Well,"  replied  Uncle  Hoke,  cheerily,  "everything 
will  come  out  all  right  in  the  end,"  for  old  Hoke  was 
.  one  of  those  optimistic  souls  who  could  see  the  bright 
side  of  a  coal  scuttle  through  a  pair  of  smoked  spec- 
tacles. 

''Now,"  continued  Hoke,  "call  me  'Uncle  Hoke,' 

little  girl;  that's  what  they  all  call  me  around  the 
ranch." 

"All  right,  Uncle  Hoke,"  replied  Carmencita,  fall- 
ing into  the  humor  of  the  old  cowboy,  "and  tomorrow 
at  the  first  streak  of  dawn  I  will  lead  you  to  the 
stronghold  of  Guiliadza  and  his  band." 

"Yes,  we  must  be  off  as  soon  as  possible,  and  I  will 
leave  word  for  Cal  and  his  boys  to  follow  on  when  he 
returns.  Well  leave  two  men  here  to  protect  the 
house  till  Cal  returns,  and  he  will  leave  others." 


COWBOYS    OF   THE    WILD    WEST.  93 

Long  before  the  great  golden  disc  of  the  sun  began 
to  rise  from  the  plains  and  cut  into  the  eastern  hori- 
zon Carmencita,  Uncle  Hoke  and  his  band  of  cow- 
boys had  taken  their  departure,  and  when  they  were 
well  on  their  way  westward  towards  the  Rio  Grande 
the  cavalcade  bearing  the  remains  of  the*  Kow  King 
and  the  dead  cowboys  was  just  entering  the  main 
gate  of  the  ranch  stockade. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
gyp's  escape  from  the  bandits'  cave. 

"Miss  Daingerford,"  said  Consuelo,  "the  chief  has 
asked  me  to  present  his  morning  greeting  to  the 
ladies  and  desires  to  know  if  it  will  be  agreeable  to 
grant  him  an  interview  this  morning." 

"Tell  him  no.  Since  I  have  discovered  the  perfidy 
of  that  imposter,  I  will  have  no  interviews  with  him. 
Tell  him  I  demand  the  freedom  of  my  cousin  and 
myself,  and  if  he  persists  in  detaining  us  here,  he 
may  look  for  no  mercy  from  my  father,  who  is 
surely  seeking  us  now  and  will  find  us,  notwith- 
standing the  isolation  of  this  place  and  the  cunning 
of  its  master." 

Since  the  arrival  of  Guiliadza  and  his  captives  at 

the  outlaws'  retreat,  the  bandit  chief  had  main- 

94 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  95 

tained  a  very  courteous  demeanor  towards  his 
prisoners,  hoping  by  this  method  to  soften  the  re- 
sentment of  the  fiery  Gyp.  He  had  studiously 
avoided  any  intrusion  upon  the  privacy  of  the  two 
ladies,  who  occupied  the  most  luxurious  apartments 
of  the  vast  cavern  and  were  permitted  to  ramble  and 
ride  about  at  will  in  the  neighboring  wilds,  but  al- 
ways attended  by  two  heavily  armed  bandits,  whose 
duty  was  to  guard  against  and  prevent  any  attempt 
to  escape. 

When  Consuelo  sought  the  chief  to  deliver  Gyp's 
message,  he  was  lolling  on  a  bed  of  green  moss 
alongside  of  a  great  rock  and  beneath  a  giant  oak,  a 
few  yards  from  the  entrance  to  the  cavern,  where 
he  was  dividing  the  time  between  an  enormous 
black  segar  and  the  consumption  of  frequent  pota- 
tions of  brandy,  which  he  would  deftly  convert  into 
long,  aelicious  drinks,  with  the  aid  of  sugar,  that  he 
took  from  a  massive  silver  bowl  resting  beside  him, 
and  the  crystal  water  of  a  cool  spring  which  gushed 
from  a  hole  in  the  rock. 


96  COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

When  Consuelo  repeated  the  answer  of  Gyp  a 
dark  cloud  of  anger  overspread  the  swarthy  features 
of  the  inebriated  outlaw,  and  with  a  muffled  oath  he 
scrambled  to  his  feet  and  started  at  an  unsteady 
gait  towards  the  entrance  of  the  cave. 

"Where  are  you  going?"  demanded  Consuelo, 
springing  suddenly  in  his  path  and  intercepting  his 
pi  ogress. 

''Stand  out  of  my  way,  woman !"  roared  the  out- 
law, at  the  same  time  roughly  brushing  her  to  one 
side  with  a  sweep  of  his  powerful  arm. 

"You  dare  strike  me,  you  brute!"  screamed  the 
woman,  her  hot  Mexican  blood  aroused  as  she  felt 
the  rude  touch  of  the  besotted  bandit.  "You'll  not 
go  where  those  ladies  are  unless  you  do  so  over  my 
dead  body." 

"Then  over  your  dead  body  it'll  be,  you  vixen  T' 
roared  the  infuriated  brute  as  he  made  a  vicious 
lunge  at  the  woman  with  his  ponderous  fist,  but 
which  the  agile  woman  evaded  by  a  swift  dodging 
movement  and  a  few  rapid  steps  to  one  side. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  97 

Thus  thwarted  in  his  brutal  design,  the  outlaw, 
uttering  a  yell  like  a  wild  beast  and  foaming  with 
rage,  made  another  lunge  towards  the  woman, 
which  she.  again  avoided  by  nimbly  jumping  to  the 
side,  whilst  the  impetus  given  by  the  force  with 
which  the  drunken  ruffian  had  hurled  his  burly  form 
forward  sent  him  sprawling  to  the  ground. 

Quick  as  a  flash  the  lythe  form  of  the  Mexican 
woman  sped  through  the  intervening  space  and 
alighted  squarely  on  top  of  the  prostrate  outlaw, 
while  at  the  same  instant  the  bright  blade  of  a  long, 
slender  poniard  seemed  to  leap  to  her  hand  from  its 
scabbard,  which  was  concealed  in  the  folds  of  her 
Mexican  jacket. 

With  a  shriek  like  that  of  a  wounded  tigress,  the 
woman  raised  her  arm,  and  just  as  the  descending 
stiletto,  flashing  in  the  sunlight,  was  about  to  pene- 
trate the  heart  of  the  struggling  bandit,  the  strong 
hand  of  Alonzo  Cabellero  seized  the  arm  of  his 
mother  and  arrested  the  fatal  blow. 


98  .     COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

*'Don't  do  that,  mother,"  exclaimed  the  young 
Mexican.    "What's  the  mafter?" 

"Let  me  kill  him!  Let  me  kill  him,  the  devil — he 
would  have  struck  me !''  panted  the  angry  woman, 
i  Almost  completely  overcome  by  the  liquor  he  had 
drunk  and  vaguely  realizing  the  danger  of  his  posi- 
tion, the  outlaw  made  several  abortive  attempts  to 
regain  his  feet  as  Alonzo  led  his  mother  to  the  cave, 
but  finding  himself  too  overcome  by  the  intoxicants 
he  had  consumed,  he  stretched  himself  out  full 
length  on  his  back,  and  in  a  few  moments  was  lost 
in  a  deep  drunken  slumber. 

In  a  few  hurried  words  Consuelo  recited  to  her 
son  the  details  of  her  encounter  with  the  bandit 
chief  and  the  cause  which  led  up  to  it. 

"When  he  becomes  sober,  mother,"  said  the 
young  man,  anxiously,  "he  will  wreak  his  ven- 
geance upon  us.  I  have  a  mind  to  put  a  bullet  in 
him  before  he  awakes  and  remembers  what  has  oc- 
curred/' 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD    WEST.  99 

"Yes,  son,  do  it — and  right  now,"  urged  the  Mex- 
ican woman,  fiercely,  for  she  was  still  trembling 
with  anger. 

Raising  his  carbine,  the  young  man  drew  a  bead 
upon  the  sleeping  bandit  for  a  moment ;  then,  lower- 
ing his  weapon,  said: 

"Better  not  do  it,  mother;  the  other  members  of 
the  band  would  listen  to  no  explanation  that  we 
could  make  and  it  would  result  in  the  slaughter  of 
us  all." 

"Then,  my  son,  we  must  make  our  escape  from 
here,  for  just  as  soon  as  he  awakes  he  will  seek  to 
visit  his  revenge  upon  me." 

"Let  us  go,  then,  at  once,"  replied  Alonzo,  "before 
the  members  gf  the  band  return  from  the  hunt. 
They  have  been  gone  two  days  now  and  may  be 
expected  at  any  moment.  I  left  them  last  night  as 
they  were  homeward  bound.  They  stopped  at  the 
ranch  of  old  Dominico  Miguel  to  carouse  and 
gamble  a  little,  but  will  not  tarry  long,  as  they  have 


loo  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

orders  from  the  chief  when  to  report  for  another 
raid/' 

Hastily  entering  the  apartment  in  the  cave  which 
Gyp  and  her  cousin  occupied,  she  advanced  towards 
the  young  girl  and  said : 

"Miss  Daingerford,  your  message  has  infuriated 
the  chief,  whom  I  found  down  by  the  spring,  well 
under  the  influence  of  drink.  He  is  now  sleeping 
off  his  debauch  and  will  wake  up  in  a  ferocious 
humor,  and  will  no  doubt  do  me  some  injury.  He 
struck  me  when  I  attempted  to  prevent  him  from 
coming  to  your  apartments  in  his  drunken  condi- 
tion, and  I  was  only  restrained  from  driving  my 
stiletto  into  his  heart  by  the  timely  interference  of 
Alonzo.  He  and  I  must  make  our  escape  from  here 
at  once,  and  it  would  be  well  for  you  and  Miss  Prime 
to  accompany  us." 

*'But  how  can  we  do  it  with  the  two  armed  ban- 
dits watching  us?" 

*'They  are  not  watching  now.  All  of  the  band 
except  the  chief  and  the  two  guards  are  absent." 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD    WEST.  lOI 

"But  the  chief  and  guards  are  outside,  are  they 
not?" 

"Yes,  the  chief  is  outside,  but  asleep,  and  the 
guards  left  hurriedly  only  a  short  while  ago  to  bring 
back  some  horses  that  escaped  from  the  corral. 
They  may  not  be  back  for  an  hour  or  more." 

"I  am  ready,"  answered  Gyp,  eagerly.  "Anything 
to  escape  from  this  horrid  place." 

"ril  go  to  the  corral,  mother,  and  saddle  four  fleet 
horses,  meanwhile  put  us  up  a  few  supplies  and  pro- 
vide the  ladies  with  arms  and  ammunition." 

Saying  this,  Alonzo  made  his  way  post  haste 
towards  the  corral,  whilst  his  mother  went  in  search 
of  the  arms  and  supplies. 

Hardly  had  Alonzo  reached  the  corral  when  the 
bandit  chief,  aroused  by  the  rays  of  the  sun  beating 
down  into  his  face,  arose  from  the  ground  and  bent 
his  staggering  steps  towards  the  cavern.  All  of  his 
politeness  and  suavity  had  vanished  under  the  bru- 
talizing influence  of  the  liquor. 


102  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD    WEST. 

With  his  heavy,  long  hair  all  tousled,  his  eyes 
bleared  and  bloodshot  and  his  features  bloated  and 
inflamed,  he  presented  a  picture  of  coarse  brutality 
which  evoked  screams  of  terror  from  the  two  ladies 
as  he  reeled  into  their  apartment  with  a  sneering 
curl  of  his  swollen  lips. 

"Aha,  my  pretty  bird — think  you  can  defy  Guili- 
adza,  do  you?  Tm  not  accustomed  to  contemptuous 
treatment  at  the  hands  of  subordinates  or  prisoners, 
even  though  they  may  be  ladies  of  wealth  and  sta- 
tion." 

"Stand  back,  you  imposter  and  ruffian!"  cried 
Gyp,  her  eyes  flashing  fire,  as  the  bandit  approached 
her  and  attempted  to  put  his  arms  around  her  slen- 
der waist. 

".Stand  back,  I  say !"  screamed  the  girl,  trembling 
with  anger  and  indignation. 

"Come,  now,  dearie;  don't  you  love  me  just  a 
little  bit  more  than  anybody  else  in  the  world?"  and 
the  bandit  leered  at  her  wickedly. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST,  IO3 

**Love  such  a  brute  as  you!  I  loathe  and  hate 
you,  monster  that  you  are,  and  you  will  have  to 
reckon  with  my  father  and  his  people  for  this  out- 
rage/' 

''Ha-ha-ha-ha  !'*  shouted  the  outlaw.  "Your 
father!  Ha-ha-ha!  Reckon  with  the  old  Colonel, 
ehr 

*'Yes,  when  you  meet  him  you'll  sing  another 
tune,  you  great  hulking  braggart." 

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!''  laughted  the  besotted  ruffian; 
''that's  a  good  one.  Well,  you  impudent  little  vixen, 
you'll  be  my  wife,  whether  you  like  it  or  not,  and 
I'll  settle  with  my  dear  father-in-law  when  I  join 
him  in  Davey  Jones'  locker— ha-ha-ha-ha !'' 

*'What  do  you  mean,  sir?"  gasped  the  girl,  a  sickly 
pallor  creeping  over  her  beautiful  features  as  a 
vague  suspicion  of  some  great  calamity  which  she 
apprehended,  but  could  not  understand,  flashed 
through  her  excited  brain. 

"What  do  you    mean    by  meeting  my  father  in 


104  COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

Davy  Jones'  locker — who  is  Davy  Jones  and  whati 
IS  his  locker?"  demanded  the  girl,  breathlessly. 

"I  mean,"  snarled  the  rufSan,  with  a  vicious  leer, 
"I  mean  that  the  Kow  King  is  dead.  I  saw  him  fall 
with  a  bullet  in  his  heart  from  the  carbine  of  a  Co- 
manche Indian." 

Clasping  her  hands  to  her  face,  Gyp  uttered  a 
piercing  scream  of  anguish  and  fell  prone  upon  the 
hard  floor  of  the  cavern  in  a  dead  swoon. 

A  shriek  of  terror  broke  from  the  lips  of  Miss 
Priscilla  as  she  rushed  to  the  assistance  of  her 
young  consin,  but  before  she  could  render  her  any 
aid  fell  fainting  herself  beside  the  fallen  girl. 

Just  at  this  moment  Alonzo  rushed  into  the  cav- 
ern and,  seeing  the  outlaw  chief  standing  over  the 
prostrate  forms  of  the  two  women,  concluded  that 
the  outlaw,  whose  evil  passions  when  aroused  knew 
no  mercy,  had  struck  down  the  victims  of  his  vil- 
lainous plot  and  was  preparing  to  add  murder  to  his 
fiendish  work. 


COWBOYS  OF  THE  WILD   WEST.  I05 

"Hold,  Alvero  Guiliadza!  Another  move  to  in- 
jure those  ladies  and  Til  fill  you  full  of  lead." 

"You  will,  will  you?''  roared  the  bandit,  foaming 
at  the  mouth  like  a  mad  dog,  his  disturbed  features 
purple  with  rage  and  the  veins  of  his  bull  neck 
standing  out  like  whip  cords. 

"Yes,  you  black-livered  fiend ;  make  another  move 
and  ni  let  the  daylight  sift  through  your  ugly  car- 
cass like  water  thrpugh  a  sieve." 

"Thoroughly  maddened  by  the  taunting  threats 
of  his  subordinate,  the  hardy  outlaw,  who  had  re- 
covered under  the  tense  excitement  from  the  weak- 
ening and  benumbing  effects  of  the  liquor,  sprang 
with  the  agility  of  a  tiger  and  all  the  strength  ol 
his  ponderous  frame  towards  the  young  man  and 
seized  the  barrel  of  the  gun  which  was  leveled  all 
him  before  his  antagonist  had  time  to  press  the 
fatal  trigger,  and,  turning  the  deadly  weapon  to 
one  side,  clasped  Alonzo  in  his  powerful  arms  with 
the  grip  of  a  grizzly  bear. 


"106  COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

Then  began  a  terrible  tussle  for  the  mastery, 
which  meant  death  to  Alonzo  should  his  strength, 
skill  and  endurance  fail  him  in  the  desperate  en- 
counter. 

For  several  minutes  the  men,  locked  in  each 
other's  embrace,  lurched,  twisted,  strained  and 
struggled  over  the  uneven  floor  of  the  cave. 

Not  a  sound  save  the  hissing  of  rapid  respiration 
through  their  set  teeth  escaped  from  either  of  them. 
The  carbine  of  Alonzo  had  fallen  from  his  hand  in 
his  endeavor  to  break  away  from  the  crushing  em- 
brace of  the  athletic  outlaw  chief.  Neither  of  the 
men  wore  his  belt,  which  was  hanging  on-  the  gun- 
rack  in  the  armory  room  of  the  cavern.  Back  and 
forth  they  swung  and  swayed,  leaping  and  plunging, 
beating  each  other  in  turns  against  the  jagged  sur- 
face of  the  rocky  walls;  now  the  fortune  of  battle 
seemed  to  favor  one  and  now  another  of  the  com- 
batants. 

Gradually  the  superior  strength  of  the  giant  chief 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  IO7 

and  his  great  animal  endurance  began  to  tell  upon 
the  resisting  power  of  the  younger  man,  whose 
lythe  and  shapely  form  writhed  with  all  the  grace- 
ful motions  of  an  Adonis  struggling  for  freedom  in 
the  iron  embrace  of  a  Hercules.  As  the  younger 
man's  strength  began  to  wane — and  which  the,  sharp 
ears  of  the  wily  bandit  detected  in  his  fitful  breath- 
ing, which  became  shorter  and  shorter — he  re- 
doubled his  efforts  to  fling  him  to  the  ground,  and 
with  one  supreme  effort  he  concentrated  all  of  his 
great  strength  into  one  irresistible  hug,  locking  his 
arms  around  his  opponent's  waist  and  bending  him 
backward  until  to  offer  further  resistance  meant 
certain  farcture  of  the  spine. 

No  longer  able  to  contend  with  the  powerful 
enemy  against  whom  he  was  pitted,  the  young  man 
was  sinking  slowly  to  the  ground,  when  the  tortu- 
ous corridors  of  the  spacious  cavern  resounded  with 
the  echo  of  a  crashing  noise  as  Consuelo  brought 
the  butt  of  a  carbine  down  with  stunning  force  upon 


I08  COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

the  head  of  the  ferocious  outlaw,  felling  him  like  an 
ox,  senseless  to  the  earth. 

"Good!  Mother!  Another  instant  and  I  would 
have  been  gone,"  breathed  Alonzo,  feebly,  as  he 
sank  exhausted  to  the  ground. 

*'Oh,  mercy  on  us !"  exclaimed  the  spinster,  recov- 
ering from  her  faint,  "what's  all  this?  Oh,  see  poor 
Mr.  Guiliadza — the  poor  man  is  hurt — he  is  full  of 
blood." 

"Yes,  and  deviltry,  too,"  retorted  the  Mexican 
woman. 

"But  he  will  die.  Can't  we  do  something  for 
him?"  piped  the  spinster,  who,  despite  her  discovery 
of  his  true  character  and  the  villainy  he  had  perpe- 
trated, still  nursed  a  secret  tender  feeling  for  the 
intrepid  outlaw. 

"Yes,"  snapped  the  Mexican  woman,  "we  can  do 
one  good  thing  for  him,  and  that  would  be  to  finish 
the  job,  for  he's  hard  to  |cill — he  has  nine  lives,  like 
a  cat,  and  he's  treacherous  and  cruel,  too,  like  all 
the  cat  tribe." 


COWBOYS  «0F   THE   WILD   WEST.  IO9 

As  Consuelo  spoke  she  drew  from  her  bosom  her 
long,  keen  stiletto  and,  approachitig  the  uncon- 
scious outlaw,  raised  the  weapon  for  a  deadly  blow, 
when,  with  a  scream  of  horror,  the  spinster  threw 
herself  on  the  body  of  the  outlaw,  thus  shielding 
him  from  the  fatal  thrust  of  Consuelo's  stiletto,  and 
at  the  same  time  pleading  piteously  with  the  deter- 
mined Mexican  woman  to  spare  the  life  of  the  ban- 
dit chief. 

Disgusted  at  this  exhibition  of  what  she  consid- 
ered chicken-heartedness,  but  not  divining  the  real 
sentiment  and  motives  by  which  the  silly  spinster 
was  inspired,  she  reluctantly  replaced  her  stiletto 
in  her  bosom,  saying: 

"Come  all  of  you;  we  must  be  off  before  this 
brute  revives  and  the  guard  returns.*' 

Then,  turning  her  attention  to  Gyp,  the  deft  min- 
istrations of  the  Mexican  woman,  aided  by  her  son 
and  Miss  Priscilla,  soon  had  the  grief-stricken  girl 
sufficiently   restored   to   realize   the   seriousness   of 


no  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD    WEST. 

their  situation,  and  in  a  few  minutes  more  the  party 
had  begun  their  flight  and  the  outlaw  regained  con- 
sciousness just  as  the  last  faint  sounds  of  their 
horses'  feet  could  be  heard  clattering  down  the  rug- 
ged mountain  trail. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

PURSUED  BY  THE  BANDITS. 

When  Guiliadza  recovered  from  the  blow  dealt  him 
by  the  Mexican  woman,  and  discovered  that  his  pris- 
oners had  flown,  his  fury  knew  no  bounds,  and  he 
rushed  like  a  mad  bull  for  the  corral. 

Meanwhile  the  two  guards  and  the  main  body  of 
the  bandits  had  all  returned  and  were  putting  their 
ponies  up  as  the  chief  entered  the  enclosure. 

"No  tarrying  here  now,  men,"  he  roared;  "the 
women  prisoners  have  escaped  and  I  have  been  nearly 
murdered  by  that  treacherous  renegade,  Alonzo  Cab- 
ellero,  and  his  shrewish  mother." 

"A  rope  for  the  pair  of  'em  If  we  can  catch  'em," 

bellowed  Sancho  Garcia,  the  outlaw  chief's  lieutenant. 

This  bloodthirsty  proposition  was  greeted  with  grunts 

III 


112  COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

of  approval  from  all  the  outlaws,  as  neither  Alonzo 
nor  his  mother  were  any  too  popular  .with  the  rank 
and  file  of  the  banditti. 

In  a  few  moments  more  the  whole  band  were 
mounted  on  fresh  horses  and  in  hot  pursuit  of  the  fu- 
gitives, who  had  a  good  start,  however,  and,  led  by 
Alonzo,  who  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  all  the  in- 
tricacies of  the  rough  and  rugged  mountainous  coun- 
try, were  making  their  way  at  a  good  gait  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  lowlands  bordering  the  Rio  Grande. 

*'I  am  in  great  dread  that  something  dreadful  has 
overtaken  Carmencita.  She  has  been  gone  a  long 
time  from  the  cave,  Alonzo.  I  am  most  uneasy  about 
her,  and,  not  knowing  what  has  happened  to  us,  even 
if  she  has  met  with  no  misadventure,  she  would 
surely  be  murdered  if  she  returns  to  the  robbers^  re- 
treat now,  as  they  are  furious  with  us.** 

"I  know  the  route,  mother,  that  she  would  nat- 
urally tae  to  return  from  the  Kow  King's  ranch, 
where  you  said  she  had  gone,  and  we  can  steer  our 
course  in  that  direction  and  intercept  her." 


COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST.  II3 

"Yes,  that's  whsit  wq  mvs^,  do^  Alonzo^  for  if  she 
falls  in  with  the  band  she  will  be  killed  with  but  little 
ceremony.  I  was  hoping  for  her  return  several  days 
ago,  because  I  had  been  planning  the  escape  of  these 
ladies  myself,  but  did  not  dare  to  undertake  it  until 
you  and  Carmcncita  were  with  us'* 

"You  acted  very  wisely,  mother,  for  if  you  had  es- 
caped with  these  ladies,  and  either  my  sister  or  myself 
had  returned  in  ignorance  of  your  act,  we  would  have 
been  taken  by  surprise  and  slaughtered  beyond  a 
doubt.'' 

"Yes,  I  knew  that,  and  intended  to  wait  for  you 
both,  and  we  could  then  have  escaped  all  together  had 
not  these  unforseen  and  unfortunate  events  occurred 
to  precipitate  our  action." 

"Well,  mother,  one  thing  you  may  be  sure  of — the 
bandits  are  right  now  hot  on  our  trail;  but  Carmcn- 
cita will  have  to  meet  us  first,  and  I  am  sure  she  will 
return  by  the  old  mule  trail,  for  which  we  are  heading 
now." 


114  COWBOYS  O?  THE    WILD   WEST. 

^'And  that  is,  I  am  told,  the  roughest  route  leading 
to  th«  cave  after  leaving  the  level  country,"  ventured 
Consiielo, 

"Yes,  it  is  rough  so  far  as  deep  gorges,  precipitous 
ravines  and  gulches  are  concerned,  and  in  some  places 
there  is  just  room  for  a  horse  to  tread  between  sheer 
rocks  and  almost  fathomless  abysses,  yet  for  one  as 
skilful  and  cool-headed  as  my  sister  there  is  no  danger, 
for  the  trail,  narrow  as  it  is  in  places,  is  level  and 
solid,  as  you  will  see,  for  we  are  going  over  it  our- 
selves." 

"But  how  about  these  American  ladies,  Alonzo?" 

"Well,  I  don't  know  about  the  older  one,  but  the 
fame  of  the  Kow  King's  daughter  as  a  daring  and 
skilful  horsewoman  is  known  far  and  near  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  country.  She  can  take  care  of  herself 
when  it  comes  to  riding,  shooting  or  throwing  the 
lariat." 

Gyp,  who  was  so  overwhelmed  with  grief  by  the 
terrible  blow  she  had  received  at  the  hands  of  the 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  II5 

brutal  outlaw  chief  when  he  announced  to  her  the 
tragic  death  of  her  father,  had  no  ears  for  anything 
that  was  being  said  by  Consuelo  and  her  son,  but  the 
spinster,  who  had  been  drinking  in  every  word,  inter- 
rupted them,  saying  with  no  small  measure  of  con- 
scious self-reliance: 

"You  need  have  no  fears  of  me.  Every  Texas 
ranch  lady  is  as  much  at  home  on  horseback  as  in  her 
rocking  chair.  It  is  true  our  horsemanship  has  been 
principally  confined  to  broad  expanses  of  prairie,  but 
the  narrow  trails  of  your  mountains  have  no  terrors 
for  us  with  these  sure-footed  little  animals." 

Just  as  the  setting  sun  began  to  flood  the  western 
skies  with  the  gorgeous  tints  of  his  master  brush  the 
little  party  went  into  camp  in  a  small  but  comfortable 
flat  space,  sheltered  on  one  side  by  a  towering  rock, 
whilst  on  the  other  side,  about  twenty  feet  from  the 
base  of  the  rock,  a  little  irregular  growth  of  stunted 
bushes  in  the  crevices  of  the  rocky  soil  fringed  the 
brink  of  a  yawning  gulf,  descending  hundreds  of  feet, . 


Il6  COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

and  some  thirty  feet  in  width,  which  separated  the 
trail  where  the  party  was  camped  from  a  continuation 
of  the  same  trail  on  the  opposite  side,  and  which  had 
to  be  reached  by  proceeding  for  miles  in  a  westerly 
direction  and  then  doubling  around  where  the  gulf 
terminated  and  returning  to  the  east.  Such  were  the 
tortuous  windings  of  the  mountainous  trails  that  the 
traveler  destined  to  a  point  in  the  east  would  be  led 
in  any  and  every  direction  to  attain  it. 

From  where  the  party  were  encamped  they  could 
toss  a  stone  across  the  chasm  and  strike  the  trail,  to 

reach  which  they  would  have  to  ride  for  several 
iours. 

"This  is  a  good  place  to  camp,  mother,"  remarked 
Alonzo;  "you  see  the  trail  along  which  Carmencita 
will  come  is  just  across  that  deep  ravine,  and  if  she 
comes  along  before  we  set  out  in  the  morning  we  will 
see  her,  have  her  stop  and  wait  till  we  go  around  and 
join  her/' 

"And  tell  her  all  that  has  happened/'  replied  Con- 
suelo. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  II/ 

*'Do  you  know  Carmencita  ?"  asked  the  Mexican 
woman,  addressing  the  spinster. 

"No;  but  my  cousin  does,  and  I  have  often  heard 
her  speak  of  the  beautiful  Mexican  girl  that  she  met 
in  the  city  of  Mexico/' 

"Yes,''  added  Alonzo,  "and  I,  too,  have  often  heard 
Carmencita  speak  of  her  friend  the  Kow  King's 
daughter  That  is  the  reason  I  left  the  gang  when 
I  learned  they  were  going  to  rustle  the  Kow  King's 
cattle;  but  I  had  no  idea  they  were  going  to  kidnap 
his  daughter  and  niece,  or  I  should  have  gone  to  the 
ranch  and  exposed  the  plot." 

"And  you  did  leave  them,  Alonzo,"  cried  his  mother, 
her  eyes  sparkling  with  pleasure 

"I  surely  did.  When  I  left  with  the  gang  I  didn't 
know  it  was  the  Kow  King  they  intended  to  rob,  but 
as  soon  as  I  found  it  out  I  left  and  stopped  at  the 
ranch  of  a  man  I  know,  and  would  never  have  gone 
back  to  the  cave  at  all  but  for  you,  mother,  and  Car- 
mencita." 


Il8  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD    WEST. 

"It  is  fortunate  we  arc  away  from  there — indeed  it 
is/'  said  Consuelo. 

''Yes/'  rejoined  Alonzo,  "it  was  only  a  matter  of 
time  that  either  GuiHadza  or  myself  would  have  been 
killed,  as  he  has  been  suspicious  of  me,  and  angry,  too, 
ever  since  I  quit  the  raiding  party." 

All  the  while  they  were  conversing  the  mother  and 
son  were  busy  preparing  the  evening  meal,  while  Gyp 
and  the  spinster  gathered  such  dry  grass  and  moss  as 
came  into  their  way  and  spread  it  under  their  Mexi- 
can blankets,  in  order  to  add  a  little  luxury  to  the 
comfort  afforded  by  the  rough  surface  of  the  rocky 
ground. 

Absorbed  in  her  gloomy  thoughts,  Gyp  partook 
sparingly  of  the  savory  meal  which  the  deft  hands  of 
Consuelo  had  prepared,  while  between  every  mouthful 
the  spinster  gave  vent  to  a  series  of  long-drawn  sighs, 
indicating  plainer  than  words  that  some  ruthless  hand 
was  tugging  painfully  at  the  strings  of  her  maidenly 
heart. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  II9 

"I  trust  you  are  not  ill,  Miss  Prime/'  ventured 
Alonzo,  observing  the  preoccupied  and  sad  expression 
which  had  settled  upon  the  countenaitce  of  the  old 
maid. 

"Oh,  dear,  no,''  tittered  the  spinster,  "but  I  am  so 
grieved  about  poor  Mr.  Guiliadza.  Why — er — er — 
he  may  be  dead,  don't  you  know.'' 

"More  the  pity  if  he  isn't,"  snapped  Consuelo. 

"And  if  he's  not  he'll  do  his  best  to  kill  us,"  added 
Alonzo. 

"But  murder,"  ejaculated  the  old  maid,  clasping 
her  hands  and  looking  sky  ward ;  "what  an  awful  thing 
to  have  on  one's  soul." 

"It's  not  murder  to  kill  rattlesnakes  in  self-defense," 
hissed  the  Mexican  woman,  between  her  firmly  set, 
white  teeth,  while  casting  a  contemptuous  side  glance 
at  the  old  maid  from  beneath  her  frowning  brows." 

"Oh,  dear  me,  such  a  blow!"  moaned  the  spinster. 
"It  reverberated  all  through  the  cave." 

"I  hope  it  will  continue  to  reverberate  all  through 
his  wicked  head,"  growled  the  older  woman. 


120  COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

**And  had  it  not  been  for  my  cousin  and  myself  it 
would  not  have  happened,"  continued  the  spinster, 
*'for  we  were  indirectly,  at  least,  the  occasion  of  it." 

"You  need  not  let  your  conscience  trouble  you  on 
that  score,"  returned  Alonzo,  not  suspecting  the  real 
cause  of  the  spinster's  solicitude.  "Guiliadza  is  a  vil- 
lain of  the  most  cruel  and  hardened  type,  and  the 
world  would  be  well  rid  of  him ;  jbut  no  such  luck  just 
yet.    He  was  only  stunned." 

"Dead,  indeed!"  laughed  the  Mexican  woman,  de- 
risively. "As  well  try  to  crush  an  ostrich  egg  with  a 
broomstraw  as  to  crack  that  robber's  skull  with  a  rifle 
butt." 

"Indeed,  mother  speaks  knowingly,"  said  Alonzo; 
"far  from  being  dead,  he  is  at  this  very  moment  lead- 
ing his  band  in  pursuit  of  us." 

As  the  gathering  darkness  warned  the  little  party, 
tired  and  jaded  from  their  strenuous  ride,  that  it  was 
time  to  seek  repose  for  the  night,  they  all  wrapped 
themselves  in  their  blankets  save  Alonzo,  who,  after 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  121 

attending  to  the  horses,  kicked  the  remaining  embers 
of  the  fire  over  into  the  ravine,  in  order  that  the  glow 
or  smoke  might  betray  them  to  an  enemy,  and  then 
rolled  himself  a  cigarette  and  sat  down  near  the  sleep- 
ing women  to  spend  as  much  of  the  night  on  watch  as 
tired  nature  would  permit. 


'm 


CHAPTER  X. 

CAPTURED  BY  THE  BANDITS  AND  RESCUED  BY  THE  COW- 
BOYS. 

Just  as  the  first  dim  light  of  dawn  revealed  the 
rugged  outHnes  of  the  towering  mountain  peaks  a 
number  of  horsemen  wended  their  way  in  single  file 
along  the  narrow  trail  towards  the  camp  of  the  fugi- 
tives, who  were  still  sound  asleep  and  unconscious  of 
the  close  proximity  of  the  bandits,  who  had  continued 
their  pursuit  from  the  start  almost  without  interrup* 
tion  or  res.t 

"If  the  signs  do  not  deceive  me,  Sancho,"  remarked 
the  bandit  chief  to  his  lieutenant,  who  was  following 
dose  behind  him,  "we  are  nearing  our  prey." 

**ycs,  chief,  I  thought  I  heard  the  neighitig  of  a 

122 


COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD    WEST.  I23 

horse.  They're  not  far  off,  perhaps  a  Httle  beyond 
yonder  bend,  where  the  trail  broadens  for  a  short  dis- 
tance— a  fitting  place  to  make  camp." 

''We'll  proceed  with  caution,  Sancho,  and  take  them 
by  surprise.    Let's  see,  how  many  of  us  are  there?" 

"Ten,  chief." 

"Well,  pass  the  word  along  back  that  four  of  us 
will  be  sufficient  to  make  the  attack,  as  there  is  only 
one  man  in  the  party,  and  I'll  take  a  shot  at  that  traitor 
— or  no,  better  yet,  I'll  take  him  back  to  the  cave  and 
hang  him  to  the  big  tree ;  then  we  can  all  use  his  car- 
cass for  a  target." 

Sancho  passed  the  word  along  back  for  all  the  men, 
but  the  two  behind  him,  to  halt  and  remain  where  they 
were  until  further  orders.  Then  the  chief,  followed 
by  Sancho  and  two  other  bandits,  moved  slowly  and 
noiselessly  forward,  leaving  their  ponies  standing  in 
the  trail  with  the  bridles  thrown  forward  over  their 
heads  and  touching  the  ground,  which  is  the  way  that 
cowboys  train  their  horses  to  stand,  and  so  long  as  the 


124  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

bridle  is  in  that  position  the  trained  bronchos  and  mus- 
tangs will  never  stir  from  the  spot. 

"There  they  are,  and  all  sound  asleep,"  said  the 
chief,  under  his  breath,  as  he  turned  the  bend  in  the 
trail,  bringing  into  view  the  flat  space  where  the  fugi- 
tives were  encamped. 

In  another  instant  the  bandits  were  standing  over 
their  sleeping  victims,  each  one  holding  his  carbine  in 
one  hand  and  a  bunch  of  stout  leather  thongs  in  the 
other. 

"Ready!  Go!"  roared  the  chief,  and  two  of  the 
outlaws  sprang  upon  the  sleeping  Alonzo,  and  before 
he  could  make  any  resistance  overpowered  and  bound 
him  securely. 

At  the  sound  of  the  chief's  harsh  voice  Consuelo 
awoke  and  attempted  to  gain  her  feet,  but  was  quickly 
seized  and  bound  by  the  chief  and  Sancho.  The  car- 
bines belonging  to  the  fugitives  were  quickly  gathered 
in  and  their  small  arms  were  taken  from  their  belts, 
leaving  them  completely  at  the  mercy  of  their  captors. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  125 

"You'll  suffer  for  this  outrage,  Alvero  Guiliadza," 
shrieked  the  Mexican  woman. 

"Well,  you'll  never  witness  my  suffering,  beldame," 
sneered  the  outlaw,  "for  I'll  have  you  and  that  cayote 
son  of  yours  pushing  clouds  before  my  time  comes  to 
cash  in." 

"Oh,  dear  Mr.  Guiliadza,  do  let  us  go,  and — and — " 
smirked  the  fatuous  old  maid,  "you  come  with  us."  I 
know  our  men  will  bear  no  resentment  against  you 
for  my  sake." 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!"  roared  the  chief,  "you  would  like  to 
trap  me,  my  pretty  bird." 

"Oh,  Alvero,"  wailed  the  spinster,  "do  not  think  me 
unmaidenly,  but  indeed  I  do — I  do " 

"Do  what?"  bawled  the  chief 

"I  lik^eyou,  Alvero.    I  would  save  you " 

"Oh,  my  liver !  Oh,  ha !  ha !  ha !  Hear  that !  Save 
me!  Why,  you  old  persimmon,  you  couldn't  save  a 
nest  of  blind  mice.  Now,  no  more  of  this  tomfoolery. 
If  you  have  any  affection  to  waste  bestow  it  on  San- 


126  COWBOYS   OF  THE    WILD^WEST. 

cho.  Eh,  Sancho !''  whooped  the  outlaw,  slapping  his 
thigh  and  exploding  with  laughter. 

"Snakes!  Snakes!  Take  'em  away!  Take  'em 
away!"  yelled  the  Heutenant,  pretending  to  be  very 
much  terrified,  while  dancing,  dodging  around  and 
hiding  behind  the  other  two  bandits. 

"Well,  my  haughty  little  lady,"  cried  the  chief,  ap- 
proaching Gyp  and  peering  into  her  face  with  an  ugly 
leer  of  triumph,  "thought  you  would  escape  me,  eh? 
Flew  from 'the  dovecote,  my  little  dove,  did  you?" 

"Oh,  dear  Mr.  Guiliadza,"  broke  in  the  spinster,  but 
before  she  could  finish  her  sentence  the  outlaw  turned 
upon  her  fiercely: 

"Enough  of  this  nonsense,  you  old  cranberry  tart. 
I  have  no  more  use  for  you  than  a  monkey  has  for 
two  tails.  Do  you  think,  you  vain  old*  magpie,  that 
because  I  had  to  make  love  to  you  in  order  to  be  near 
my  sweetheart  here,"  pointing  to  Gyp,  "that  I'm  going 
to  stand  for  your  silly  palaver  now?" 

Then,  turning  to  Gyp,  he  continued : 


COWBOYS  OF  THE  WILD  WEST.  12/ 

"Come,  dear,  we'll  all  go  back  to  the  cave,  and  I  am 
sure  that  when  you  see  and  know  more  of  Alvero 
Guiliadza,  the  king  bandit  of  Mexico,  you'll  be  proud 
to  bear  his  name  and  wear  the  chain  of  roses  with 
which  he  will  hold  you  captive  for  life." 

And  the  impudent  robber  chucked  the  young  girl 
under  the  chin. 

"Don't  touch  me,  you  monster.  I  abhor  and  loathe 
the  sight  of  you;  leave  me  at  once,"  screamed  the  girl, 
with  heightening  rage. 

"I'll  teach  you  to  spurn  me,  you  haughty  vixen," 
roared  the  outlaw,  seizing  Gyp  roughly  by  the  throat. 

"Unhand  that  lady,  you  cutthroat !"  came  in  a  voice 
of  thunder  from  across  the  ravine,  and  as  the  bandits 
quickly  turned  to  look  in  that  direction  they  were  cov- 
ered by  the  carbines  of  a  dozen  cowboys. 

"In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  the  outlaw  drew  from 
his  belt  an  enormous  pistol  and  pointed  it  straight  at 
the  head  of  the  young  girl;  at  the  same  time  hurriedly 
commanding  his  companions  to  cover  the  other  pris- 
oners in  like  manner. 


128  COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

Then  he  yelled: 
.  *'Who  are  you  to  interfere  with  Alvero  Guiliadza?" 

"I'm  Calvin  Yancey.  I  demand  the  custody  of  those 
ladies." 

"Have  a  care,  Mr.  Cal  Yancey.  If  you  don't  lower 
your  guns  I'll  blow  these  women  into  fragments." 

Fearful  that  the  desperate  outlaw  would  execute  his 
brutal  threat,  the  cowboy  chief  lowered  his  carbine 
and  ordered  his  comrades  to  do  likewise. 

"We  have  lowered  our  guns,  now  lower  yours," 
cried  the  cowboy  chief  across  the  chasm. 

With  a  sneering  laugh  of  triumph  the  outlaws  re- 
stored their  pistols  to  their  belts,  when  immediately  a 
strange  and  curious  thing  occurred. 

"From  behind  a  long,  low  ledge  of  rock,  slightly  to 
the  flank  of  where  the  cowboys  had  covered  the  ban- 
dits with  their  carbines,  four  long,  black  lines,  like 
the  tongues  of  four  monster  serpents,  shot  out  across 
the  chasm,  and,  twisting  their  sinuous  forms  around 
the  necks  of  the  burly  bandits,  held  them  for  a  mo- 


FOUR  LONG,  BLACK  LINES,  LIKE  THE  TONGUES  OF  FOUR 

MONSTER    SERPENTS,    SHOT   OUT, 

Page  129. 


COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  I3I 

ment  fast  in  their  deadly  coils,  and  then,  suddenly 
contracting,  with  a  sharp  jerk  dragged  them  forward 
over  the  precipice  into  the  yawning  gulf  below. 

As  the  bodies  of  the  four  bandits  shot  down  into 
the  abyss  Carmencita  and  three  of  the  cowboys  rose 
from  behind  the  ledge,  and  were  greeted  by  a  burst  of 
rousing  cheers  and  yells  from  a  dozen  throats. 

**Bravo !  Bravo !"  shouted  Uncle  Hoke,  and  a  dozen 
other  voices  joined  in  "The  lariats  have  won  the  day ! 
Long  live  the  cowboy  and  his  lariat  V' 

The  bandits  who  had  been  stationed  back  on  the 
trail,  hearing  the  commotion  and  unaware  of  the  pres- 
ence of  the  cowboys,  now  advanced  towards  the  camp, 
but  as  soon  as  they  hove  in  sight  they  were  met  by  a 
deadly  volley  from  the  cowboys  which  sent  four  of 
their  number  tumbling  down  into  the  chasm,  and  the 
others  beat  a  hasty  retreat,  abandoning  their  ponies 
and  disappearing  behind  the  bend  in  the  trail. 

"Look  down  there!"  yelled  Uncle  Hoke,  bending 
over  the  edge  of  the  chasm  and  pointing  to  a  dark  ob- 


132  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

ject  squirming  in  the  branches  of  a  small  tree  which 
grew  from  a  large  crevice  far  down  in  the  side  of  the 
deep  ravine 

*'It's  that  skunk  Guiliadza,  as  sure  as  my  name's 
Uncle  Hoke." 

And  it  was  the  outlaw  chief,  who,  more  fortunate 
than  his  comrades,  had  alighted  in  the  branches  of  the 
tree,  which  broke  his  fall  and  saved  his  worthless  life. 

As  soon  as  the  cowboys  discovered  the  chief  a  dozen 
carbines  were  pointing  at  him  and  ready  for  action,  but 
the  wily  bandit,  hearing  their  yells  and  anticipating 
their  fire,  swung  himself  within  the  shelter  of  the 
crevice  from  which  the  tree  had  sprouted  and  was 
completely  hidden  from  view.  Every  now  and  then 
he  poked  his  head  out  from  his  place  of  concealment 
and  hurled  oaths  and  yells  of  defiance  at  his  enemies, 
who,  finding  it  impossible  to  reach  him  with  their  bul- 
lets, gave  up  the  hunt  and  proceeded  on  their  way 
along  the  trail  to  double  around  the  gulf  and  join  the 
rescued  party. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  1 33 

A  few  hours  later  the  victorious  cowboys  passed  the 
same  spot  on  their  homeward  march  with  Gyp  and  the 
three  companions  of  her  adventure  and  narrow  es- 
cape. 


CHAPTER  XL 


FIGHT  WITH  THE  INDIANS. 


Nothing  occurred  to  interrupt  the  homeward 
journey  of  the  cowboys  until  they  had  crossed  the 
Rio  Grande  and  were  well  on  their  way  in  Texas 
towards  the  Kow  King's  ranch,  when  they  fell  in 
with  another  party  of  cowboys  from  a  neighboring 
ranch,  who  were  returning  with  a  large  herd  of 
cattle  which  had  been  stolen  by  the  Indians  and 
recaptured  by  the  cowboys. 

It  was  late  in  the  evening  and  the  cattle  were 

lying   down,   while   several   cowboys    were    riding 

around  them  and  singing  to  them  the  cowboys'  song 

to  soothe  the  cattle  and  divert  their  attention  from 

the  howling  wolves  and  other  prowling  beasts  of 

134 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD    WEST.  I35 

prey.  During  the  two  hours  of  each  watch  all  through 
the  night  the  cowboys  sing  without  cessation  the  same 
song  to  as  many  different  tunes  as  their  several  reper- 
toires contain: 

Lay  nicely,  now,  cattle,  don't  heed  any  rattle, 
But  quietly  rest  until  morn; 

For  if  you  skedaddle,  we'll  jump  in  the  saddle, 
And  head  you  as  sure  as  you're  born. 
When  the  usual  exchange  of  courtesies  between  the 
two  bands  of  cowboys  was  over,  and  which  consisted 
of  a  generous  pull  at  the  big  brown  jug  which  was  an 
important  part  of  the  equipment  of  the  mess  wagon, 
Cal  Yancey  decided  to  accept  an  invitation  from  thq 
leader  of  the  cowboys  who  were  in  charge  of  the  herd 
to  make  their  camps  together  for  the  night,  and  es- 
pecially as  there  had  been  numerous  bands  of  warlike 
Comanche  Indians  committing  depredations  through- 
out that  section  of  the  country. 

As  gently  as  he  could  Cal  Yancey  had  recounted  to 
Gyp  during  their  journey  from  Mexico  the  sad  details 


136  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

of  her  father's  death,  and  how  he  had  brought  the  re- 
mains of  the  good  old  Colonel  and  the  cowboys  who 
were  killed  with  him,  to  the  ranch.  He  described  the 
pathetic  scenes  at  the  ranch  attending  the  last  rites 
performed  over  the  remains  of  the  Colonel  and  the 
brave  cowboys,  and  in  a  voice  husky  with  emotion  he 
poured  into  the  ears  of  the  beautiful  Gyp  the  tender 
feeling  which  he  felt  for  her  now  that  she  was  an 
orphan  and  almost  alone  in  the  wild  West,  and  ex- 
pressed the  hope  that  his  ardent  love  for  her  would 
some  day  develop  into  those  sacred  relations  which 
would  give  him  the  right  to  be  her  protector  forever 
and  fill  the  dismal  void  made  in  her  young  life  by  the 
loss  of  her  good  and  noble  father.  As  the  evening  ad- 
vanced the  cowboys  stretched  themselves  around  on  the 
ground  in  a  circle,  in  the  center  of  which  was  the  mess 
wagon,  and  under  this  the  women  had  spread  their 
blankets  for  the  night;  but  Gyp  and  Cal  were  seated 
some  Httle  distance  apart  from  the  rest  by  the  side  of 
a  little  fire  of  buffalo  chips ;  for  the  nights  were  grow- 
ing chilly. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  I39 

The  evening  meal  had  been  over  for  an  hour  or 
more,  but  Cal  was  boiling  some  coffee  over  the  little  fire, 
insisting  that  Gyp  should  have  a  nice  hot  drink  before 
she  retired  for  the  night,  a  performance  which  was 
more  suggestive  of  an  innocent  scheme  on  his  part  to 
enjoy  alone  the  society  of  his  sweetheart  than  from 
any  real  necessity  for  refreshments. 

"Yes,  Gyp,  dear,  when  I  returned  to  the  ranch,  to- 
gether with  the  gloom  into  which  the  loss  of  your 
father  had  plunged  us  all,  the  terrible  shock  of  finding 
that  you  had  been  kidnapped  by  that  villainous  Mexi- 
can robber  left  me  for  a  time  almost  bereft  of  my  rea- 
son, and  had  I  not  realized  the  importance  of  coolness 
and  quick  action,  and  taken  the  trail  of  Uncle  Hoke 
without  delay,  we  might  never  have  met  again." 

"Indeed,  Cal,"  replied  the  young  girl,  gently  laying 
her  dainty  hand  upon  the  broad  shoulder  of  the  sturdy 
cowboy,  "had  I  not  been  sustained  by  the  certain 
knowledge  that  my  poor,  dear  old  father  and  you 
would  come  swiftly  to  our  rescue,  I  could  never  have 


140  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

endured  the  loathsome  advances  of  that  outlaw  mon- 
ster   He  threatened  to  make  me  his  wife  by  force " 


"The  fiend!"  muttered  the  cowboy,  with  a  hissing 
sound  from  between  his  teeth,  mingled  with  which 
there  lurked  the  suspicion  of  a  good,  round  oath, 
nipped  in  the  bud  out  of  respect  for  his  gentle  com- 
panion. "Oh,  if  I  had  only  been  there.  And  just  to 
think  of  it,  I  had  a  dead  bead  drawn  on  the  hulking^ 
brute  from  across  the  chasm.  I  dared  not  fire  for  fear 
he  would  kill  you.  Well,  well,  I'll  have  another  chance 
at  him,  for  Tm  quite  sure  he  will  get  out  of  the  ravine, 
as  he  is  as  familiar  with  every  turn  and  crook  in  those 
mountains  as  a  hedgehog  is  with  his  hole/' 

"No,  Cal,  we  have  had  trouble  and  bloodshed 
enough.  For  my  part,  I  hope  the  authorities  will  over- 
take Guiliadza  in  his  criminal  career,  and  the  country 
will  then  be  relieved  of  a  great  scourge." 

"Well,  if  the  law  does  not  get  him  my  cowboys 
will,  for  I  will  not  pass  lightly  over  the  suffering  he 
rp.3  caused  you.    And  think  of  it!    What  might  have 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD    WEST.  I4I 

happened  had  we  not  arrived  just  in  the  nick  of  time 
to  save  you !" 

*'Yes,  Cal,  dear,  wc  owe  our  lives  to  you — all  of 
-js/' 

*'No,  Gyp/'  answered  the  cowboy,  slowly  and  se- 
riously, "as  dear  as  you  are  to  me,  it  is  not  my  privilege 
to  claim  that  honor,  however  willing  I  might  have  been 
to  die  a  thousand  deaths  to  save  you ;  but  it  is  to  that 
brave  Mexican  girl,  Carmencita,  that  we  are  all  in- 
debted. But  for  her  Uncle  Hoke  would  never  have 
known  where  to  follow  you,  nor  would  I." 

"How  did  you  find  Uncle  Hoke,  Cal?'' 

"He  had  not  many  hours  the  start  of  us,  and  his 
trail  was  easily  followed ;  but  to  be  sure  we  would  not 
lose  it  Uncle  Hoke,  who  is  an  old  cowboy  and  ingenuity 
personified,  left  flour  along  his  trail.  Now,  who  would 
have  thought  of  that  but  Uncle  Hoke?  When  I 
opened  the  note  he  left  for  me  at  the  ranch  all  it  said 
was :  'Cal — Gyp  stolen.  Follow  me.  Flour  on  trail.'  I 
set  out  as  soon  as  I  possibly  could  after  Uncle  Hoke, 


142  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

and  overtook  him  just  a  few  hours  before  we  rescued 
you." 

"I  will  see  that  Carmencita  and  her  mother  are  pro- 
vided for  in  a  manner  hereafter  to  insure  them  against 
the  necessity  of  consorting  with  bandits,  and  you,  Cal, 
please  take  her  brother  in  the  employ  of  the  ranch, 
for  now  that  my  dear  father  is  gone  the  whole  respon- 
sibility of  the  ranch  will  fall  upon  you." 

"And  when.  Gyp,  will  the  sweet  responsibility  of 
its  lovely  mistress  fall  upon  me  ?" 

"Whenever  you  like,  Cal,"  murmured  the  girl,  softly, 
turning  her  face  away  from  her  lover,  for  it  was  only 
the  darkness  that  concealed  the  delicate  pink  which  suf- 
fused the  cheeks  of  the  beautiful  Gyp. 

The  night  had  grown  old  before  the  lovers  sepa- 
rated to  snatch  a  few  hours'  sleep  before  daylight, 
when  they  would  separate  from  their  cowboy  hosts  and 
continue  their  homeward  journey. 

Just  as  day  broke  the  camp  began  to  assume  an  ap- 
pearance of  activity.    The  cook  was  bustling  around 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  I43 

the  mess  wagon  getting  the  breakfast  ready.  Cow- 
boys were  scudding  here  and  there  over  the  prairie, 
heading  off  small  bunches  of  cattle  which  showed  a 
disposition  to  wander  away  after  the  main  body  of  the 
herd  had  arisen  from  their  night's  rest. 

Suddenly  a  succession  of  wild  shouts  was  heard  in 
the  direction  of  the  herd,  as  several  cowboys  came  fly- 
ing over  the  intervening  space  driving  ahead  of  them  a 
number  of  steers. 

"Rope  'em !  Rope  'em !"  yelled  the  cowboys  to  their 
comrades,  clustered  around  the  cook's  fire. 

Without  stopping  for  any  explanation  of  this  sud- 
den and  strange  action  on  the  part  of  the  men  driving 
the  steers,  a  number  of  the  cowboys  sprang  into  their 
saddles  and  were  flying  in  every  direction,  throwing 
their  lariats  with  unerring  aim  and  bringing  the  bulky 
animals  to  the  ground,  each  man  springing  from  his 
horse  and  holding  the  fallen  steer  on  the  ground  with 
as  much  ease  as  if  it  had  been  a  frolicking  lamb. 

When  several  dozen  of  the  steers  had  been  thrown 


144  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD    WEST. 

and  firmly  held,  one  of  the  cowboys  who  had  driven 
in  the  cattle  rushed  into-the  camp,  where  his  chief  was 
in  conversation  with  Cal  Yancey,  and  cried : 

"Comanches !  Comanches !'' 

**Where?"  asked  the  chief,  anxiously. 

"A  band  of  them  not  over  a  mile  away.  We  saw 
them  while  pursuing  the  stray  stock.  Have  driven  in 
a  number  for  killing." 

To  a  tenderfoot  this  maneuver  would  have  been  a 
mystery,  but  the  assembled  cowmen,  whose  wild  life  on 
the  plains  led  them  into  many  deadly  encounters  with 
the  ferocious  Comanches,  understood  perfectly  what 
he  meant,  and  in  another  moment,  from  a  signal  given 
by  their  chief,  the  cowboys  begait  the  slaughter  of  the 
fallen  cattle,  cutting  their  throats  with  one  fell  swoop 
of  their  sharp  knives,  and  then  dragging  the  carcasses 
into  the  camp  and  ranging  them  around  in  a  circle, 
piling  them  one  on  top  of  the  other,  three  high.  Al- 
though it  was  known  that  Indians  were  in  the  vicinity, 
no  one  suspected  that  they  were  so  near  until  the  cow- 


COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD    WEST.  I45 

boys  gave  the  alarm,  and  just  in  time?,  as  the  Indians 
could  now  be  seen  distinctly  on  the  crest  of  a  swell 
in  the  prairie  and  riding  in  open  order  towards  the 
camp. 

*'They  intend  to  circle  around  us  and  harass  us  with 
their  fire  and  stampede  the  herd/'  said  old  Mose 
Dibble,  the  leader  of  the  cowboys  who  were  in  charge 
of  the  herd. 

"All  right,"  growled  Uncle  Hoke,  'let  'em  circle. 
We'll  take  care  of  'em  all  right  from  that  circle  of 
dead  steers." 

As  the  Indians  approached  nearer  the  women  were 
made  to  enter  the  circular  breastwork  thus  formed  and 
lie  down,  sheltering  themselves  behind  the  carcasses  of 
the  cattle.  Some  of  the  men  took  their  positions  behind 
the  breastworks,  where  they  could,  with  deadly  effect, 
fire  over  the  bodies  of  the  animals,  whilst  others, 
mounted  on  their  ponies,  rode  towards  the  Indians. 

With  demoniacal  whoops  and  yells  and  firing  of 
shots  the  savages  came  swooping  down  upon  the 


146  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

camp,  lured  on  by  the  mounted  cowboys,  who 
turned  their  horses  and  pretending  to  be  retreating  in 
panic. 

The  little  ponies  of  the  cowboys  bent  every  sinew 
to  their  work  and  shot  across  the  prairie  with  the 
speed  of  arrows,  doubling  back  after  passing  the  im- 
provised fortress  and,  dismounting,  sought  shelter  in 
the  enclosure. 

"Let  'em  have  it !"  shouted  Cal  Yancey,  and  deadly 
volley  was  poured  into  the  advancing  Indians,  which 
tumbled  them  in  numbers  from  their  horses. 

The  Indians  returned  the  cowboys'  fire,  but  with  no 
effect,  as  their  bullets  were  buried  in  the  bodies  of  the 
cattle,  which  proved  to  be  a  most  effective  breast- 
work. 

After  a  few  minutes  of  sharp  fighting  on  both  sides, 
the  savages,  realizing  that  they  were  outgeneraled  and 
that  they  were  getting  the  worst  of  the  battle,  turned 
and  fled.  The  cowboys  instantly  mounted  their  horses 
and  followed  the  Indians  at  full  speed. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD    WEST.  I49 

For  several  minutes  a  running  fight  was  kept  up 
and  three  or  more  of  the  savages  were  dropped  from 
their  saddles.  Just  as  the  cowboys  were  closing  down 
on  the  savages  to  complete  their  victory  by  the  total 
annihilation  of  the  remaining  ones,  another  band  of 
painted  savages  rose  in  sight  from  a  depression  in  the 
undulating  prairie,  which  had  up  to  this  moment  con- 
cealed their  approach,  and  were  galloping  to  the  rescue 
of  their  tribesmen. 

"Halt!''  commanded  the  cowboy  chief;  "they  are 
getting  too  thick  for  us — better  not  approach  any 
nearer." 

As  the  reinforcing  band  drew  nearer,  the  cowboys 
recognized  a  tall,  powerful  Indian,  handsomely  deco- 
rated with  all  the  feathers  and  ornaments  usually  worn 
by  a  great  chief  when  on  the  warpath. 

When  the  two  bands  of  Indians  came  together,  this 
chief  lined  them  all  up  facing  the  cowboys,  and  riding 
up  and  down  the  line,  gesticulating  wildly  and  yelling 
in  his  own  language,  succeeded  in  making  some  of  the 


150  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

cowboys,  who  understood  a  little  of  the  Comanche 
tongue,  understand  that  he  believed  the  cowboys  were 
stronger  in  numbers  and  better  armed  than  his  war- 
riors, and  that  he  would  not  continue  the  fight,  but 
would  lead  the  cowboys  a  long  chase  to  where  there 
were  many  Indians;  but  that  if  there  was  any  white 
chief  among  them  who  had  courage  enough  to  meet 
him  in  single  combat,  he  would  fight  him  at  a  point  of 
ground  midway  between  the  two  opposing  forces. 

"ril  fight  him !''  shouted  Cal  Yancey.  "I  know  that 
red  devil  and  he's  the  greatest  cattle  thief  that  roams 
these  plains.'' 

"No,  Cal;  let  me  fight  him,"  sprang  from  a  dozen 
throats  in  chorus. 

For  some  few  moments  there  was  no  reply  given  to 
the  big  chief,  who  interpreted  the  silence  as  an  evi- 
dence of  cowardice,  and  galloping  towards  the  cow- 
boys alone,  he  stood  upon  the  g'round  which  he  had 
suggested  for  the  battle  and  poured  out  a  volume  of 
abusive  Indian  lingo,  accompanied  by  derisive  shouts 
and  spitting  in  the  direction  of  his  enemies. 


COWBOYS   OP   THE    WILD   WEST.  I5I 

"Paleface  coyote.  Paleface  squaw  man.  No  fight 
big  chief  alone." 

Raising  his  carbine  aloft,  and  despite  the  remon- 
strances of  Uncle  Hoke,  Cal  stuck  spurs  into  his  horse's 
flanks  and,  venting  a  long,  loud  cowboy  yell,  started 
off  on  a  full  run  towards  the  bantering  savage. 

When  Cal  was  within  fifty  yards  of  the  big  chief 
his  horse  fell  to  the  ground,  having  been  killed  by  a 
bullet  from  the  chief's  carbine ;  but  almost  at  the  same 
instant  he  fired  himself,  striking  the  chief  square  in 
the  breast,  which  caused  him  to  reel  and  fall  from  his 
horse ;  but  before  he  had  fairly  touched  the  ground  the 
athletic  cowboy  was  upon  him,  knife  in  hand,  and 
drove  the  keen-edged  weapon  to  its  hilt  in  his  breast. 
In  the  next  instant  the  intrepid  cowboy  had  jerked  the 
war  bonnet  from  the  head  of  the  chief  and  had  his 
gory  scalp  swinging  at  his  belt  as  he  jumped  upon  the 
dead  Indian's  horse  and  galloped  back  to  his  own  men. 

The  whole  affair  occupied  but  little  time,  and  the 
Indians  seeing  the  summary  manner  in  which  their 


152  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD    WEST. 

noted  chief  was  dispatched  by  the  cowboy  leader,  were 
stricken  with  superstitious  awe,  and,  turning,  fled  pre- 
cipitously across  the  plains. 

"I  guess  those  red  devils  won't  harass  us  any  more 
for  a  spell,  now,"  cried  Uncle  Hoke,  as  the  Kow  King 
ranch  cowboys  took  leave  of  their  hosts  and  proceeded 
on  their  journey  homeward. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


THE  REVEALED  SECRET. 


One  wet  and  chilly  night  about  three  months  after 
the  rescue  of  Gyp  and  her  companions  from  the 
clutches  of  the  desperate  Mexican  brigand,  the  four 
women  were  sitting .  around  the  cheerful  blaze  of  a 
crackling  fire  in  the  large  drawing-room  of  the  Kow 
King's  ranch. 

Tea  had  been  served  in  the  drawing-room  for  the 
ladies  a  few  hours  after  the  family  supper,  which  was 
one  of  the  old-established  customs  at  the  ranch,  and 
Uncle  Eph  was  busily  moving  about  clearing  away 
the  remnants  of  the  night's  collation,  when,  with  a 
sudden  and  mysterious  motion  of  his  hands,  while  at 
the  same  time  rolling  his  eyes  about  until  they  looked 
like  little  snowballs  against  the  dark  background  of 

153 


154  COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

his  face,  he  managed  to  attract  the  attention  of  Car- 
mencita,  and  beckoned  to  her  to  follow  him.  Sur- 
prised by  the  strange  actions  of  the  old  slave,  and 
curious  to  know  what  he  meant  by  so  much  mystery, 
she  rose  quietly,  and,  leaving  her  companions,  followed 
the  old  man  into  the  spacious  hall  outside. 

"Come  wif  me,  little  Missie,"  whispered  Uncle  Eph, 
"I'se  got  sumpin'  f er  ter  tell  yuh ;  but  we  muss  go  out 
on  dc  poach  whar  we  kin  talk/' 

"All  right.  Uncle  Eph,"  said  Carmencita,  following 
the  old  man  out  on  the  broad  porch. 

"Dar  was  sumpin'  quite  curious  wot  happened,  an' 
I  specs  it  war  better  fer  me  to  tell  yuh  by  yerself, 
den  yuh  kin  do  wat  yuh  likes  bout  it  wif  de  res'  o'  de 
missies." 

"Well,  go  ahead.  Uncle  Eph,"  answered  Carmen- 
cita, her  curiosity  now  thoroughly  aroused. 

"Well,  little  Missie,  dar  wus  a  gem'man  who  come 
ridin'  up  to  de  kitchen  do'  just  arter  de  cowboys  dun 
finished  supper  and  gone  off,  and  he  say  to  me :  'Uncle 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  155 

Eph,  you  'members  me?  I  is  Mister  Gonzalez,  wat 
war  a  friend  ob  your  ole  massa,  and  I  want  for  you 
ter  do  me  a  favor/  Well,  I  axed  him  wat  it  war,  an' 
he  done  tole  me  to  gib  dis  hyar  letter  to  de  lady  Car- 
mencita,  and  I  dun  took  de  letter,  and  hyar  it  be." 

Fumbling  under  the  bosom  of  his  cotton  shirt, 
Uncle  Eph  produced  the  letter  and  handed  it  to  Car- 
mencita. 

Tearing  the  letter  open  with  nervous  haste,  she 
read: 

Carmencita — I  must  see  you  at  once.  Your  safety 
and  that  of  your  friends  depends  upon  it.  Mount  your 
horse  as  quickly  as  possible  and  come  due  west  from 
the  southwestern  corner  of  the  corral  until  you  reach 
the  lone  tree.    I  will  wait  for  you  there. 

Ramon  Gonzalez. 

*'What  can  this  mean?"  mused  the  puzzled  girl; 
"what  can  he  want  witk  me  away  out  there  on  the 
prairie  such' a  night  as  this?  How  did  he  know  that 
I  am  at  the  Kow  King's  ranch  ?^' 


IS6  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD    WEST. 

These  and  many  more  questions  were  suggested  to 
the  girl's  excited  brain. 

"I'll  go,"  she  said,  under  her  breath.  "Ramon  is  a 
gambler  and  a  bad  man  in  many  respects,  but  he'll  not 
harm  me — anyway,  he  loves  me,  and  he  must  know  of 
some  impending  evil  or  he  would  not  be  here.  I'd  bet 
there's  some  deviltry  brewing,  and  that  villain  Guil- 
iadza  is  at  the  bottom  of  it.    I'll  go." 

So  as  not  to  alarm  the  other  women,  Carmenclta, 
upon  the  plea  of  feeling  indisposed,  said  she  would 
retire  to  her  room,  instead  of  which  she  hastened  to 
the  corral,  and  a  few  minutes  later  was  riding  across 
the  prairie  as  swiftly  as  her  pony  could  Hft  his  trira 
little  legs. 

The  night  was  so  dark  that  the  girl  could  not  set 
the  lone  tr^e  in  the  distance,  but  she  knew  the  direc- 
tion, and  after  a  ride  of  half  an  hour  she  saw  a  dim 
light  moving  back  and  forth  within  a  space  of  only  a 
few  feet  at  a  point  where  she  thought  the  lone  tree 
ought  to  be. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD    WEST.  1 57 

"That's  a  signal/'  she  said  to  herself. 

In  a  few  minutes  more  the  girl  drew  rein  on  the 
spot  where  she  had  seen  the  light,  and  then  she  saw 
dimly  the  outlines  of  the  lone  tree,  so  called  because  it 
was  the  only  tree  in  a  radius  of  many  miles  upon  the 
unbroken  expanse  of  the  vast  prairie. 

"Ah,  Carmencita,  you  have  come;  that  is  good,'* 
and  the  owner  of  the  voice,  who  seemed  to  emerge 
suddenly  from  behind  a  veil  of  darkness,  stepped 
briskly  up  to  the  young  Mexican  girl  and  stood  beside 
her  pony. 

"But  why  have  you  sent  for  me,  Senor  Gonzalez^ 
Not  to  join  you  again  in  those  dreadful  gambling 
hells  of  the  city  of  Mexico,  for  I  have  no  need  of  that 
now.  I  am  happy  where  I  am,  and  the  'Kow  Kween,' 
as  she  is  now  styled  since  her  father's  death,  has  taken 
me  and  my  mother  with  her,  and  we  are  provided  for 
as  members  of  the  family." 

"That  is  very  good  of  her,  Carmencita,  but  no  more 
than  she  should  do,  for  I  have  heard  from  the  lips  of 


158  COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

Guiliadza  himself  how  you  rescued  her  from  his 
clutches,  and  he  has  sworn  eternal  vengeance  against 
you  for  thwarting  him  in  his  design  to  possess  himself 
of  the  girl  and  her  wealth." 

"Where  is  Guiliadza?"  asked  the  girl. 

*^He  is  in  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  at  this  very  mo- 
ment recruiting  a  new  band  from  amongst  the  most 
desperate  characters  of  the  city.  That  is  why  I  am 
here.  When  I  learned  Lis  plans  I  hastened  here  to  see 
you  and  put  you  on  your  guard." 

"How  did  you  know  I  was  here,  Senor?" 

"It  was  no  great  stretch  of  *  nagii^ation,  Carmen- 
cita,  to  infer  that  Miss  Daingerford  would  gratefully 
recognize  the  service  you  have  rendered  her,  and  not 
see  you  adrift  and  homeless  after  losing  the  only  shel- 
ter you  had  on  her  account." 

"I  intended  to  leave  that  robbers'  den  anyway, 
sooner  or  later,"  remarked  Carmencita. 

"Yes,  but  there  was  Consuelo  and  Alonzo,"  repled 
the  gambler,  and  you  know  Alonzo  was  hunted  down 


COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD   WEST.  159 

by  the  authorities  and  had  no  refuge  but  with  the  out- 
laws." 

*True,"  rejoined  the  girl,  "but  he  is  now  safe  and  In 
the  employ  of  the  'Kow  Kween.' " 

"Good,"  exclaimed  the  gambler.  "I  knew  the  boy 
in  Mexico — a  likely  lad  he  was.  I'm  glad  he  is  from 
under  the  influence  of  Guiliadza." 

"But  why  have  you  come  all  the  way  from  the  city 
of  Mexico  to  see  me,  Senor?  "You  told  me  in  your 
note  that  some  danger  threatened  me  and  my  friends/' 

"Yes,  Carmencita,  and  it  is  because  of  my  love  for 
you  that  I  am  here."  ' 

"Oh,  Senor,  do  not  say  that.  You  know  that  I  am 
grateful  to  you  for  the  interest  you  manifested  for  me 
when  I  was  friendless  and  alone  in  the  great  city  of 
Mexico,  and  I  entertain  the  kindest  sentiments  to- 
wards you,  but  there  it  must  end — indeed  it  must,  and 
I  may  as  well  tell  you  now." 

"Ah,  I  see,  you  are  in  love  with  someone,  perhaps 
richer  and  younger  than  I,"  replied  the  gambler,  with 


l6o  COWBOYS  OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

just  the  suspicion  of  amusement  betrayed  in  his  well- 
modulated  voice. 

**Well,  yes,  Senor,  since  you  ask  me,  I  do  love  an- 
other, and  he  is  younger  than  you,  to  be  sure,  but  not 
rich— only  a  plain,  honest  cowboy." 

*'But  what  if  he  is  not  rich,  Carmencita?  You  are 
rich  enough  to  buy  all  the  cattle  in  a  county  for  your 
cowboy,"  replied  the  gambler,  breaking  into  a  low, 
musical  laugh,  which  added  greatly  to  the  growing 
astonishment  of  the  young  girl,  who  expected  that  her 
discouragement  of  the  gambler's  professions  of  at- 
tachment would  excite  him  to  anger  rather  than  pro- 
voke an  exhibition  of  mirth 

"But,  Carmencita,"  continued  the  Senor,  "my  love  for 
you  is  of  more  ancient  origin  and  more  abiding  than 
that  of  your  cowboy  lover." 

"I  have  told  you,  Senor,"  answered  Carmencita, 
gently,  for  she  could  not  forget  the  gambler's  friend- 
liness to  her  in  days  gone  by,  "that  I  am  grateful  to 
you  and  will  always  be  your  friend,  but  that  is  all." 


COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD    WEST.  l6l 

"No,  child,  more  than  that  you'll  be  to  me.  I  love 
you,  Carmencita,  and  always  have,  but  not  in  the  way 
you  think.  You  have  misconstrued  my  attentions, 
child,"  continued  the  Senor,  now  speaking  seriously 
and  in  a  low,  soft  voice. 

*'But  what  do  you  mean,  Senor?  I  do  not  under- 
stand you.  Speak,  Senor,  so  I  can  understand  you," 
cried  the  young  girl,  startled  by  the  unexpected  turn 
the  conversation  had  taken  and  the  air  of  mystery 
which  the  Senor's  manner  assumed. 

"I  love  you,  Carmencita,  because " 

''Because  what?     Speak,  Senor,  speak!" 

"Because,  Carmencita— BECAUSE  YOU  ARE 
MY  DAUGHTER!" 

"What !  What !"  gasped  the  young  girl,  descend- 
ing from  her  pony.  "You  my  father,  Senor  Ramon? 
I  cannot  believe  it." 

"It  is  true,  Carmencita,  and  the  locket  you  wear 
around  your  neck  contains  the  picture  of  your  mother 
and  myself,  my  dear  wife,  who  was  drowned  in  the 


l62  COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

wreck  of  the  vessel  which  brought  us  all  to  Mexico." 

Carmencita  had  never  shown  the  locket  to  anyone, 
as  Consuelo  had  always  cautioned  her  not  to  do  so 
when  she  was  growing  up,  as  it  was  an  article  of  much 
value,  and  Consuelo  feared  that  it  might  be  stolen 
from  the  child,  so  Carmencita  had  always  kept  it  hid- 
den from  sight,  suspended  from  a  gold  chain  which 
she  wore  under  her  clothing. 

"What  do  you  know  of  the  locket?''  she  asked,  ex- 
citedly, peering  intently  into  the  face  of  the  gambler. 

'1  know  that  it  contains  the  miniature  of  your 
mother,  a  beautiful  young  woman,  with  great  black 
eyes  and  a  luxurious  suit  of  black  hair  falling  in  long 
coils  over  her  shoulders  from  beneath  a  broad  band 
of  pearls  which  encircles  her  head." 

"And  what  else  ?"  asked  the  young  girl,  eagerly. 

"And  on  the  inside  of  the  cover  is  engraved  tjie  in- 
itials of  my  name  and  hers.  I  gave  her  the  locket 
when  we  were  both  young  and  betrothed.  My  age  and 
heavy  beard,  with  the  ravages  of  time,  have  no  doubt 


BECAUSE  YOU  ARE   MY  DAUGHTER. 
Page   163. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD    WEST.  165 

changed  my  appearance  very  much,  but  a  close  ob- 
server would  not  fail  even  now  to  recognize  in  the  old, 
weatherbeaten  gambler,  Gonzalez,  your  father,  Don 
Ricardo  Alvarez,  a  nobleman  of  old  Spain/' 

"Dumbfounded,  Carmencita  remained  speechless 
for  several  moments,  and  then,  as  if  speaking  to  some- 
one far  away,  she  said: 

"Yes,  I  have  often  wondered  where  I  had  seen  the 
Senor  before.  He  seemed  to  have  htcn  once  in  some 
way  associated  with  my  early  life.  Yes,  yes,  now  I 
see  it  all,''  and  the  young  girl,  bursting  into  a  flood  of 
tears,  threw  herself  into  the  brawny  arms  of  the  gam- 
bler and  sobbed  like  a  child. 

"At  last  I  have  the  secret  which  Consuelo  has  with- 
held so  long  from  me.  I  have  all  these  years  longed 
for  my  dear  parents,  for,  whilst  kind  and  devoted  to 
me  always,  I  knew  always  that  Consuelo  was  not  my 
real  mother." 

"Your  mother,  Carmencita,  was  an  Italian  lady  of 
high  rank  and  great  wealth,  a  daughter  of  one  of  the 


i66  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD    WEST. 

proudest  families  of  Rome.  Her  parents  were  vio- 
lently opposed  to  our  union,  and  vowed  that  neither 
she  nor  her  issue  should  ever  inherit  their  vast  for- 
tune as  long  as  I  lived. 

After  our  marriage  my  patrimony  soon  melted  away 
in  living  up  to  the  station  in  which  we  were  born,  to- 
gether with  unfortunate  speculations  into  which  I  was 
inveigled  by  designing  men. 

Destitution  followed,  and  then  came  a  crisis.  I  was 
induced  to  exploit  a  great  African  bubble,  and,  having 
had  no  business  training,  I  was  ignorant  and  plastic 
in  the  hands  of  sharp  and  unscrupulous  men.  After 
I  had  been  led  to  rope  into  the  scheme  all  my  friends 
and  acquaintances  the  bubble  burst,  and  I  was  left  to 
shoulder  the  crime  with  skilfully  plotted  evidence 
against  me.  All  the  other  perpetrators  of  the  swindle 
escaped  except  Guiliadza,  who  was  my  secretary  and 
held  jointly  guilty  with  me.  When  I  discovered  that 
there  was  no  future  for  me  but  that  of  a  felon's  cell,  I 
disguised  myself  and  made  my  escape  to  Mexico  on  a 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  167 

sailing  vessel  with  you  and  your  mother  and  Consuelo, 
an  orphan  girl  whom  your  mother  had  taken  from  a 
convent  as  a  companion  to  her. 

''When  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  our  vessel  was  caught 
in  a  terrible  cyclone  and  blown  on  the  reefs.  The 
crew  and  all  the  passengers  were  drowned  in  attempt- 
ing to  leave  the  ship,  except  Consuelo,  yourself  and  me, 
and  I  was  saved  by  a  marvelous  chance.  Having  been 
knocked  senseless  by  a  falling  spar,  I  became  entangled 
in  the  rigging  attached  to  it  and  was  washed  ashore, 
where  I  awoke  on  the  beach  after  lying  insensible  for 
hours.  How  your  poor  mother  was  drowned  we  never 
knew,  but  after  the  storm  abated  some  fishermen  vis» 
ited  the  wreck,  which  was  fast  going  to  pieces  in  the 
surf,  and  found  Consuelo  and  you  and  brought  yoi| 
ashore.  You  were  then  a  little  over  four  years  of  age. 
AH  of  our  valuables  and  money  were  lost.  I  made  my 
way  to  the  city  of  Mexico  by  gambling  from  village  to 
village,  and  when  once  settled  in  that  city  I  became  a 
professional  gambler,  having-  no  other  means  of  liy^U- 


1 68  COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

hood.  It  was  shortly  after  our  arrival  in  the  city  of 
Mexico  that  I  conceived  the  idea  of  concealing  from 
you  my  relationship  to  you,  and  enlisted  Consuelo's 
co-operation  in  my  plan,  which  was  for  your  best  inter- 
est. I  caused  a  rumor  to  reach  Rome  that  I  had  been 
drowned,  and  then  I  changed  my  name.  This  would 
insure  for  you  the  inheritance  of  your  maternal  grand- 
parents, to  which  you  are  now  entitled,  as  the  last  one, 
your  grandmother,  has  just  died  at  a  very  advanced 
age,  and  there  is  nothing  now  to  prevent  you  from  en- 
tering into  your  fortune  unless  Guiliadza,  the  bandit, 
who  knows  the  secret,  should  betray  us ;  but  I  think  a 
comfortable  sum  of  money  will  pacify  him,  and,  al- 
though he  is  a  desperate  man  and  robber,  he  will  never 
reveal  the  secret  if  once  he  agrees  to  such  proposition 
as  we  may  make  to  him.  As  for  Consuelo — well,  she 
will  be  faithful  unto  death,  for  she  has  loved  you  with 
a  devotion  second  only  to  that  of  your  own  mother, 
and,  of  course,  you  will  see  that  she  shares  your  good 
fortune  and  spends  her  decHning  years  with  you." 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD    WEST.  169 

"And,  my  dear  father,"  murmured  the  young  girl, 
throwing  her  arms  around  the  old  gambler's  neck  and 
kissing  him  affectionately,  "what  is  to  becoAie  of  you?" 

"There  is  nothing  left  for  me,  my  dear  child,  but  to 
remain  where  I  am  and  settle  on  a  ranch,  preserving, 
for  your  safety,  the  name  I've  borne  all  these  years" 

"Well,  I'll  not  live  in  any  Italy,"  exclaimed  Carmen- 
cita,  decidedly,  "and  I  don't  care  for  any  titles,  either. 
Texas  is  good  enough  for  me.  I'll  sell  the  old  Italian 
estates  and  come  here  and  live  near  you  and  Gyp, 
where  I  can  ride  the  plains,  throw  the  lariat  and  shoot 
with  the  cowboys,  under  whose  rough  exterior  there  is 
more  genuine  nobility  of  mind  and  heart  than  that  old, 
tottering  kingdom  ever  knew  since  Romulus  and  Re- 
mus laid  the  first  foundation  stones  of  the  Roman  Em- 
pire." 

"You  can  now  return,  Carmencita^  and  wait  until 
you  hear  from  me  again.  I  must  hasten  back  to  the 
city  of  Mexico  and  devise  some  means  to  stay  Guil- 
ladza  in  his  desperate  resolve  of  revenge,  and  at  the 


170  COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

ame  time  refrain  from  incurring  his  enmity,  for  your 
inheritance  all  depends  upon  the  condition  that  I  am 
legally  dead,  and  no  one  can  disprove  the  accepted  be- 
lief except  Guiliadza,  for  Consuelo  will  never  betray 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  PRAIRIE  FIRE. 

"Consuelo,  I  am  going  to  Italy  sogn/'  said  Carmen- 
cita  one  morning,  a  fortnight  after  her  interview  with 
her  father. 

"To  Italy  !*'  cried  Consuelo,  in  astonishment. 

"Yes,  Consuelo,  to  Italy.  I  know  all  now.  I  have 
found  my  father  and  he  has  told  me  everything ;  but 
you  are  to  go  with  me  and  share  in  the  fortune  which 
awaits  me,  and  then  we  will  all  return  to  dear  old 
Texas." 

"But,  child,  you  do  not  know  the  history  of  that 

fortune.    Since  you  have  found  your  father  and  heard 

from  his  lips  the  tragedy  of  your  early  history  there 

is  nothing  more  I  can  tell  you,  except  that  so  long  as 

your  father  lives  you  can  inherit  nothing." 

171 


172  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

"But  he  is  supposed  to  be  dead." 

"True;  but  so  long  as  Guiliadza  knows  that  he  is 
aHve  there  is  no  certainty  that  you  can  establish  your 
claim." 

"My  father  will  make  a  deal  with  the  bandit." 

"Alas !  I  fear  he  will  not  succeed.  Guiliadza  is  ra- 
pacious. He  will  want  the  lion's  share  of  your  inheri- 
tance to  keep  the  secret." 

"Well,  let  him  have  it.  What  do  I  care,  if  there  is 
enough  left  to  settle  us  all  snugly  on  a  nice  ranch." 

"Ah,"  sighed  the  older  woman,  "you  do  not  know 
the  outlaw  chief.  His  desire  for  revenge  is  stronger 
than  his  avarice,  and  he  thirsts  right  now  for  your 
heart's  blood,  and  hates  all  those  who  were  instrumen- 
tal in  wresting  Miss  Daingerford  from  his  power." 

"No,  Consuelo,  I  think  you  are  wrong.  The  bandit 
chief  was  not  so  much  infatuated  with  my  friend  Gyp 
as  with  her  wealth.  He  is  a  man  without  sentiment. 
We  can  give  him  more  many  times  over  than  Gyp's 
whole  fortune  would  sum  up." 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  1 73 

''Does  Miss  Daingerford  know  of  your  change  in 
fortune?"  inquired  Consuelo. 

*'Yes;  but  she  does  not  know  exactly  about  my  fath- 
er. I  told  her  of  my  engagement  to  Tody  Rockbridge 
and  of  my  inheritance  and  proposed  visit  to  Italy  to 
settle  up  the  affairs  and  dispose  of  the  estates,  but  that 
is  all.    The  rest  is  our  secret  for  the  present,  at  least." 

''Well,  sighed  Consuelo,  "let  us  look  for  the  best. 
All  my  hopes  now  of  ever  resuming  my  place  in  the 
world  as  an  Italian  lady  have  vanished,  and  I  suppose 
ril  have  to  live  and  die  known  only  as  the  Mexican 
woman,  Consuelo." 

"Don't  speak  in  that  sad  strain,  dear  Consuelo. 
What  difference  does  it  make  so  long  as  we  shall  be 
together,  and  you  will  be  always  surrounded  by  kind 
and  loving  friends.  Why,  I  am  giving  up  titles  and 
all  the  pomp  which  goes  with  them  to  be  here  with  the 
friends  of  my  childhood  and  to  live  the  free  and  happy 
life  of  the  plains,  with  a  good,  noble  and  generous  hus- 
band to  shower  upon  me  all  the  devotion  of  an  affec- 


174  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

tionate  and  loyal  heart  in  an  atmosphere  of  simple 
aith  and  rational  existence." 

"I  hope  so,"  sighed  Consuelo.  "Any  way,  dear  child, 
I  can  never,  at  least,  be  unhappy  so  long  as  I  have  you 
with  me.    But  here  comes  Mr.  Rockbridge  now." 

Just  as  Consuelo  uttered  the  words  Tody  Rock- 
bridge stepped  briskly  into  the  room,  and,  approaching 
Consuelo,  took  her  tenderly  in  his  arms  and  implanted 
a  kiss  upon  her  lovely  lips  which  sounded  like  a  mus- 
tang drawing  his  foot  from  a  puddle  of  stiff  mud. 

While  Carmencita  and  her  lover  were  billing  and 
cooing  as  only  the  cowboys  and  girls  know  how  to  do, 
unearthly  shrieks  penetrated  the  spacious  drawing- 
room  from  the  direction  of  the  kitchen,  and  Uncle 
Eph,  followed  by  Aunt  Manda,  came  bursting  into  the 
room. 

"Fire !  Fire !  Fire !"  screamed  the  old  servants.  "De 
prairie  is  all  on  fire!"  they  yelled,  "and  de  cattle  and 
de  cowboys  is  all  tearing  dis  way." 

Rushing  to  the  broad  veranda  at  the  rear  of  the 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  I75 

house,  where  they  were  a  moment  later  joined  by 
Uncle  Hoke,  Gyp  and  Consuelo,  they  saw  far  across  the 
prairie  immense  volumes  of  black  smoke  rolling  sky- 
ward, under  which  great  lines  of  red  flames  rolled  in 
billows  over  the  earth. 

"Oh,  oh !  the  men  are  runnmg  before  the  dreadful 
fire — and,  my  God!  Gal  is  with  them.  Quick,  let  us 
go  to  their  rescue,"  cried  Gyp,  frantic  with  the  dread 
thought  of  her  lover's  threatened  destruction  by  the 
most  terrible  of  deaths. 

For  half  a  mile  around  the  ranch  the  long,  dry  grass 
had  been  cut,  and  was  always  kept  so  in  anticipation 
of  just  such  catastrophes,  and  those  in  the  ranch  knew 
that  if  the  cowboys  and  cattle  driven  by  the  flames 
could  reach  this  open  space  they  would  all  be  safe. 

"Quick,  to  the  corral.  Hook  up  the  wagons  and 
bring  the  medicine  chest.  Uncle  Eph,"  screamed  Gyp, 
almost  beside  herself  with  excitement. 

In  a  few  moments  later  all  the  inmates  of  the  ranch 
were  galloping  over  the  prairie,  followed  by  the  heavy 


176  COWBOYS   0-^  THE   WILD   WEST. 

wagons,  in  the  direction  of  the  approaching  cowboys 
and  cattle.  In  a  few  minutes  they  had  reached  the 
edge  of  the  cleared  space,  but  the  smoke  had  become 
so  dense  that  they  could  not  now  see  out  into  the  burn- 
ing prairie  but  very  indistinctly. 

For  fifteen  minutes,  which  seemed  hours  of  terrible 
suspense  to  the  watchers,  they  stood  waiting  for  the 
fire  to  reach  the  open  space  and  exhaust  itself  for  want 
of  more  fuel  to  feed  upon.  After  a  while  this  oc- 
curred, and  the  fire  ceased  to  burn,  the  heavy  pall  of 
smoke  lifted,  and,  looking  far  out  upon  the  blackened 
plain,  all  they  could  see  in  the  distances  were  a  number 
of  bulky  objects  scattered  about  in  irregular  heaps. 
These  heaps  were  the  bodies  of  the  cattle  which  had 
perished  in  the  flames. 

"Oh,  merciful  Father !"  moaned  the  distracted  Gyp, 
"they  are  lost — they  are  lost!" 

"Not  much!"  grunted  Uncle  Hoke.  "Not  if  Cal 
Yancey  was  in  the  party  they  are  not  lost.  Now,  just 
let's  ride  out  there  and  see.    The  ground  is  not  too  hot 


COWBOYS    OF   THE    WILD    WEST.  177 

for  the  horses,  and  I'll  bet  my  new  leggins  agin  a  whiff 
of  smoke  that  we'll  find  'em  all  alive  except  the  cows 
and  the  horses." 

For  several  miles  the  party  rode  over  the  black 
ashes  of  the  burned  grass,  passing  every  few  yarcjs 
clusters  of  dead  cattle,  their  scorched  hides  fiUing  the 
air  with  the  strong  odor  of  charred  flesh. 

Suddenly  they  came  within  view  of  the  cowboys' 
horses,  lying  scattered  around  in  various  positions,  and 
which  they  recognized  at  once  by  the  saddles  that  were 
still  attached  to  their  backs,  but  the  cowboys  were  no- 
where to  be  seen.  A  little  further  on  a  large  wagon 
stood  "on  the  prairie  with  two  horses  lying  dead  on  the 
ground,  the  harness  still  upon  their  bodies,  and  the 
canvas  top  of  the  wagon  fluttering  from  the  wooden 
frame  in  bits  of  blackened  rags ;  but  the  contents  of  the 
wagon,  composed  of  large  wooden  chests,  piled  one 
upon  another,  were  not  damaged  beyond  the  blister- 
ing of  the  paint  and  the  charring  here  and  there  of  the 
most  exposed  parts. 


178  COWBOYS   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

"Where  are  the  men?"  gasped  Gyp,  taking  Uncle 
Hoke  by  the  arm  and  looking  wildly  into  his  face. 

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!"  roared  Uncle  Hoke.  "Just  look 
there." 

And  as  Uncle  Hoke  pointed  to  one  of  the  dead 
bronchos  the  scarcely  recognizable  head  of  a  man,  all 
bedaubed  with  blood,  emerged  from  a  tong  slit  in  the 
animal's  belly,  and  a  voice,  which  seemed  to  be  stifled 
for  the  want  of  air  to  breathe,  called  out :    . 

"Is  that  you.  Uncle  Hoke?  For  God's  sake,  pull 
me  out  of  this  and  give  me  a  pull  at  the  jug  from  the 
medicine  wagon.    My  throat's  as  dry  as  sandpaper." 

"I'll  pull  you  out,"  answered  Uncle  Hoke,  "shaking 
with  laughter,  "but  maybe  it  would  be  impolite  for  me 
to  get  too  familiar  without  an  introduction.  Who  are 
you,  anyway?" 

"Come,  no  foolin',  Uncle  Hoke.  Yank  me  out.  I'm 
Happy  Hank." 

"And  I'm  Cal  Yancey,"  cried  the  cowboy  chief,  as 
he  sprang  from  the  interior  of  another  pony  and  ran 
towards  Gyp,  all  besmeared  with  blood. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST.  l8l 

"Oh,  Cal !"  exclaimed  Gyp,  as  she  rushed  up  to  her 
lover  and  was  about  to  throw  herself  into  his  arms. 

"Oh,  great  Scott,  no,  Gyp !  This  Is  no  toilet  to  greet 
a  lady  in,''  cried  the  chief,  dancing  back  from  his  im- 
petuous sweetheart  and  shaking  with  merriment. 

"Well,  Cal,  I  think  you're  real  mean.  I  don't  care 
anything  about  your  toilet  so  long  as  I've  got  you  back 
again,"  cried  the  girl,  who  could  not  restrain  tears  of 
joy  nor  choke  back  the  merry  laugh  which  broke  from 
her  lips  as  she  gazed  upon  the  funny  plight  of  the  cow- 
boys, as  one  by  one  they  emerged  from  their  tombs  of 
flesh  in  the  bellies  of  the  dead  ponies. 

"Come,  Uncle  Hoke,  let's  go  look  after  the  old  fel- 
low that  we  shoved  into  the  carcass  of  one  'of  his  team 
before  we  buried  ourselves." 

"Good  thing  you  thought  of  that  scheme,  Cal,  or 
you  would  all  have  been  done  up  brown  enough  to 
please  the  taste  of  the  most  fastidious  cannibal  chief 
by  this  time,"  said  Uncle  Hoke,  still  bending  double 


l82  COWBOYS   OF  THE    WILD   WEST. 

and  laughing  until  his  face  had  taken  on  the  hue  of  a 
boiled  lobster. 

Hurrying  back  to  where  they  had  left  the  wagon, 
the  cowboys  surrounded  the  carcass  of  a  big  horse 
which  was  split  open  from  neck  to  rump. 

"Let's  rap  at  the  door/'  cried  Uncle  Hoke,  pounding 
on  the  ribs  of  the  dead  horse.    '^Anybody  in  there?" 

*'Sure,  and  Vm  in  here,"  piped  a  weak  little  voice, 
which  seemed  to  come  from  the  bottom  of  an  old 
caved-in  well.  Then  a  head  bobbed  out  and  the  rest 
of  the  body  of  a  little  man  followed,  answering  to  the 
steady  pull  of  the  cowboys. 

When  the  little  man  was  well  outside  he  ran  his  hand 
over  the  top  of  his  head,  which  was  covered  with  blood, 
and  all  at  once  his  face  took  on  a  pitiable  expression 
of  dismay. 

"Sure,  and  let  me  get  back  in  there  a  minute,"  he 
implored. 

Then  he  reached  into  the  carcass  and  soon  withdrew: 
a  little  object  all  begrimed  and  matted  with  blood. 


COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD   WEST.  183 

"Ah,  here  it  is/'  he  said,  wringing  the  blood  out  of 
the  article  and  placing  it  tenderly  in  his  pocket. 
,  ^'Something  you  prize  very  highly,  Mr.  McGuffin?" 
asked  Happy  Hank.      ^.  ;^--;t^^ 

"Sure,  and  I  hould  it  in  hoi  estimation,  sur,  for  it's 
me  wig,  and  belongs  on  th'  top  o'  me  head." 

A  roar  of  laughter  followed  this  sally,  and  then  the 
chief,  addressing  all  present,  said: 

"Ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  have  the  honor  t©  present 
to  you  Mr.  Terrence  McGuffin,  a  traveling  merchant, 
whom  we  came  up  with  on  the  prairie.  He  was  bound 
for  our  ranch  to  see  Miss  Daingerford,  and  will  in  due 
time  explain  his  mission." 

"And  lucky  I  was,  sure,  to  meet  up  wid  yees,  fer  if 
yees  hadn't  put  me  in  that  hole  in  the  horse  I'd  be  in 
one  that  I'd  niver  git  out  of.  As  it  is,  I'm  not  a  dead 
sinner,  but  wan  that's  born  agin,  and  viry  much  aloive." 

"Well,  we  may  all  be  thankful  that  no  harm  has  be- 
fallen us.  Poor  little  ponies !"  sighed  Gyp,  looking  at 
the  bodies  of  the  brave  little  animals,  who  had  saved 
their  masters'  lives. 


184  COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

Attaching  two  of  the  saddle  horses  to  the  wagon, 
the  party  started  for  the  ranch  house  rejoicing  over 
their  escape. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE  TRIPLE  WEDDING. 


Several  days  after  the  devastating  prairie  fire  a 
strange  gentleman,  garbed  in  sedate  black  and  riding 
a  horse  equipped  with  large  saddle  bags,  arrived  early 
in  the  forenoon  at  the  ranch,  and  was  courteously  re- 
ceived by  the  mistress  of  the  house  and  introduced  as 
a  friend,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Tyum,  of  Galveston.  A  little 
later  Senor  Ramon  Gonzalez  followed  the  clerical  gen- 
tleman, and  shortly  after  his  arrival  was  closeted  with 
Carmencita  in  her  private  sitting  room. 

"I  sent  the  Irish  merchant  to  you  and  Miss  Dainger- 
ford,  Carmencita,  as  he  was  traveling  over  the  country 
and  carrying  a  stock  from  which  I  was  sure  both  of 
you  could  select  such  a  trousseau  as  will  answer  until 
you  reach  the  large  cities." 

185 


l86  COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD    WEST. 

"Yes,  father,  and  both  Gyp  and  myself  are  well 
pleased  with  our  purchases/' 

"I  have  also  sent  the  minister,  as  you  requested  in 
your  letter,  so  that  now  all  the  preliminaries  for  the 
double  wedding  are  arranged. 

"When  you  return  from  abroad  I  will  have  a  fine 
ranch  selected  for  you,  and  will  spend  my  declining 
years  with  you  and  your  fine,  manly  husband,  my  dear 
child ;  but  I  must  be  known  only  as  your  uncle,  Ramon 
Gonzalez." 

"But  Guiliadza,  dear  father ;  you  forget  about  him." 

"No,  child ;  Guiliadza  is  now  where  he  can  harm  no 
one.  A  few  nights  before  I  sold  out  my  business  in 
the  city  of  Mexico  Guiliadza  became  involved  in  a 
quarrel  with  one  of  his  men  while  on  a  debauch  at  the 
Casino,  and  he  was  shot  and  instantly  killed  by  his  fel- 
low-bandit." 

"Then  at  last  you  are  free  from  that  haunting  fear 
of  exposure.  Ah,  how  happy  I  am,"  exclaimed  the 
girl,  clappingf  her  pretty  hands  and  bestowing  a  r^^ 


COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD    WEST.  187 

sounding  kiss  upon  the  forehead  of  her  erring  but  de- 
voted parent. 

On  the  following  night  the  brilliantly  lighted  ranch 
house  echoed  with  the  rattle  of  countless  spurs  as  the 
cowboys  assembled  to  witness  the  marriage  of  their 
chief  and  comrade  Tody  Rockbridge,  one  to  the  mis- 
tress of  the  ranch  and  the  other  to  the  beautiful  daugh- 
ter of  a  noble  Spanish  family. 

The  grand  salon  was  hung  heavily  with  profusions 
of  exquisite  flowers,  and  the  long  table  in  the  great 
dining  hall  was  resplendent  with  its  scintillating  cut 
glass,  Sevres  china  and  snowy  linen.  A  great  feast 
was  in  course  of  preparation  by  the  expert  Aunt 
Manda,  and  Uncle  Eph's  face  glowed  with  pride  as  he 
capered  around,  rubbing  the  dust  of  years  from  the 
bottles  of  his  old  massa's  rare  wines. 

All  was  ready.  The  minister  stood  behind  the  little 
table  at  one  end  of  the  room.  The  two  bridal  couples 
walked  slowly  into  the  grand  salon  and  took  their 
places  side  by  side  before  the  minister. 


l88  COWBOYS   OF   THE    WILD    WEST. 

The  solemn  service  was  just  about  to  begin,  when 
from  a  recess  in  the  farther  end  of  the  room  came  a 
voice  in  loud,  ringing  tone: 

''Hold  on  there,  Mr.  Preacher ;  the  train's  going  off 
without  all  the  passengers." 

And  then,  to  the  utter  astonishment  and  surprise  of 
the  assembled  cowboys,  Uncle  Hoke,  resplendent  in  a 
long,  black  frock  coat  of  a  seventeenth  century  vintage, 
and  a  tall  white  choker,  tripped  gaily  up  through  the 
long  room  towards  the  altar  with  Consuelo  hanging  on 
his  arm. 

"What's  this?''  as  if  in  one  breath  came  trom  a  dozen 
mouths.    "What  does  this  mean?" 

It  means  that  Uncle  Hoke's  in  this  deal  and  ain't 
going  to  be  overlooked,  for  it's  all  been  arranged  these 
many  weeks  between  Miss  Consuelo  and  Uncle  Hoke. 
Eh,  sweetheart?"  said  the  old  man,  as  a  mighty  shout 
went  up  from  a  hundred  throats  and  shook  the  old 
ranch  house  from  foundation  to  rafters.  The  noise 
brought  Uncle  Eph  and  Aunt  Mandy  running  into 


COWBOYS   OF   THE   WILD   WEST.  189 

the  room,  and  when  the  old  slaves  realized  what  had 
taken  place  Uncle  Eph  threw  up  his  hands,  and,  open- 
ing his  eyes  so  wide  that  the  pupils  looked  like  a  fly 
speck  in  the  middle  of  a  dinner  plate,  exclaimed: 

''Well,  I  declar.  Who'd  thunk  dat  o  Massa  Hoke— 
an'  de  Missie,  too,  so  sweet  and  puss-like.  Wat  you 
think  o'  her,  Mandy?'' 

"Dat's  all  right,  Ephrum.  We  none  of  us  wimmins 
ever  gits  too  olc." 

**Das  so,  das  so!"  ejaculated  Uncle  Eph,  rolling  his 
eyes  almost  inside  out. 

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